A Wolf Among Chocobros
by Riku Kingdom Hearts
Summary: A strange instant led to Cloud finding himself in a world that was not his own. Not only that but he found himself surrounded by four strangers he had never seen before. The four strangers wondered the same thing about Cloud who just seemingly appeared out of nowhere. What will happen when Cloud meets Noctis and his friends and tags along for the adventure?
1. Chapter 1

**I had this idea started a long while ago, but I just never got around to starting it. But I was just in the mood the other day so I finished up this and thought to share it to see what you guys think. **

**This is post Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children and is early on in Final Fantasy 15. **

* * *

**Ch.1**

The sun shined down on another day. Just a regular normal day. That was how it was now. Everything was finally getting back to being peaceful and normal. There was still a lot of recovering needed after the events with Kadaj and his brothers. The healing rain had helped remove the Geostigma, but there was still a lot of repairs that needed to be done. But even with all of that, there were still plenty of days for just relaxing or taking things easy.

This was one of those days for Cloud.

He didn't have any deliveries for make for the day so he wanted to take as much time as he could to just relax and enjoy his day. Though he knew there was a certain stop he had to make first.

He drove his motorcycle down through the slums of Midgar down to a certain location. A very special location. It was a place he visited often every so often for many different reasons. It was Aerith's church.

After everything that had happened with the healing rain curing the Geostigma, the church became a rather special icon within the slums, but it still meant something more to Cloud than anything. Zack's Buster Sword was now all polished and cleaned up and placed just above the pool of healing water that had come from the rain, and surrounding the pool were the beautiful flowers Aerith had grown.

Cloud always ended up visiting the place whenever he got the chance. It was a place to relax and think about things, but also a moment to think about Zack and Aerith. He knew he had moved on from his past and no longer carried deep guilt with him over what had happened to them, but he still always thought of them. He found it quite peaceful to sit by the pool of water that came from the livestream and think about things.

Cloud soon pulled up to the front of the church and dismounted his motorcycle. He then walked towards the entrance of the church. As soon as he stepped inside he could smell the fresh, blooming flowers that filled the area. He walked forward until he reached the edge of the water. With a long calming exhale he sat down and began to just listen to the sounds around him.

Though he thought he noticed something different today. There was a strange glow coming from the water. A light blue glow covered the entire pool of water and that made questions in Cloud's head start to stir.

_"Why is it glowing like that? Does it have something to do with the Lifestream?"_ Cloud wondered as he peered into the water. It glowed so brightly and strangely he couldn't even see his own reflection. It didn't make any sense.

Just as Cloud started to wonder more, the water glow grew brighter and began to bubble. Cloud, feeling a bit wary, inched back. He still wasn't exactly sure what was happening, but something felt strange about it. The air around the church seemed to change, giving off a strange feeling.

Cloud tried to think of what could have been causing the water to act like that. But everything he thought of just led to more and more questions. _"Is something wrong with the Lifestream? Is it… Sephiroth… No… It couldn't be that… Could it?"_

With the curiosity and concern getting the best of him, he slowly moved closer to the water and looked over it again. But just as he did the glow flash brightly, causing him to close his eyes and fall forward, right into the water. Though much to what he expected, he didn't hit the shallow bottom of the small pool, he fell deeper and deeper as he slowly started to lose consciousness.

* * *

Noctis, Prompto, Gladiolus, and Ignis were wandering around Galdin Quay, taking in the surrounds for awhile as they waited for the day to end. They already had helped out Dino and he said he would be able to get them the ferry they need to get to Altissia, but now they had the rest of the day to relax.

Since they could just relax and spend the day how they wanted it, Noctis decided that he wanted to get in a bit more fishing in. He headed over to the fishing door and summoned his fishing rod. He was about to cast out the line when a large shadowed figure fell a few feet away from him.

Noctis jumped back intensively as whatever it was hit the water. It only took Noctis a few seconds to regain himself and see what had mysteriously fallen into the water. His eyes widened as he tried to comprehend what… or really who he was seeing.

"What the hell?!" he shouted as he rubbed his eyes to check if he was just seeing things.

There in the water, someone laid there. They floated for a few seconds before started to move slowly. Whomever they were, they were dressed in an black outfit and had blond hair. They moved in the water, but they did not seem full consciously as their head bobbed under the water slightly. Noctis was about to move forward to see if the person was in need of any help when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Noct! What happened?" Ignis asked as he, Prompto, and Gladiolus ran towards the end of the docks.

"I don't know. This person just fell out of nowhere and landed in the water," Noctis replied as he quickly guestred to the figured slowly standing up in the water. They looked fine at least, but now they swayed slightly back and forth. "I think they need some help."

Though all four of them knew there were questions to be asked, they decided to keep these thoughts for later as Noctis and Gladiolus jumped into the water and waded over to the person. As they got closer they could see that it looked to be a young adult man about their age, though he still looked dazed as his eyes were unfocused and he looked a bit pale.

"We you now, let's get you to the shore," Gladiolus instructed as they led the guy out of the water.

They brought him over to the shore and slowly set him down on the ground. A moment later he hunched over and started to cough up a bit of water. Ignis and Prompto soon joined them over where they stood as they still eyed the man.

Ignis took a step forward and knelled down to look over the man, seeing if he had any injuries. "Are you all right?"

It took a few more seconds of coughing before the man breathed in a deep breath and looked up to see the group standing in front of him. Confusion filled his face and bright blue eyes as his eyes darted around trying to take his surrounds. He furrowed his brows as he looked back to the group.

"Where am I?" he asked, which now brought a whole other level of confusion to the guys.

* * *

**This is the start of it at least. Thought it would be fun for Cloud to join up with the guys and interact with them. **

**Let me know what you guys think. I'm trying my best to write for the FF15 guys as I have never done that before. This is just a starting short chapter to see about everything and all, but I hope you guys liked it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**It's chapter 2 time! Thank you to everyone so far who has taken interest in this story.**

* * *

**Ch.2 **

Cloud stared at the group of guys before him. His head still ached slightly, but he managed to ask the first thought that came to mind. "Where am I?"

The four that stood before him looked back and forth between each other, concerned and curious forming on their faces. They stared for a moment more before the one with the glasses cleared his throat.

"Do you mean to you do not recognize anything around here?"

Cloud took once glance around before shaking his head. He rubbed his head slightly. "No I don't. I don't even know how I got here."

"Well… um…" the raven-haired man said. "You kind of just fell out of nowhere into the water."

"Fell out of nowhere? How could I…." Cloud asked as he raised an eyebrow. He paused as he recalled the last thing he remembered. The image of the glowing pool of water came fresh back into his mind. "_Did… the livestream bring me here? Where ever this is? Why though…?"_

"I think before we go any further with this matter, we might as well cover the formalities," the one with glasses said. "It would make things a bit easier I feel."

"Ah yeah, my name is Cloud," Cloud replied as he slowly tried to stand up, though he swayed slightly as his body felt a bit out of it.

"Hey take it easy there," the larger man replied. "The impact of the water still must of dazed you a little."

"I'll be fine. Anyways, you guys are?"

The men gave one more curious glance between one another before the one with the blond hair spoke up. "You mean you don't recognize who he is?" he then pointed to the raven-haired man standing next to him.

Cloud stared at him for a moment, looking at him carefully. It was strange, but the guy gave him a strange sense of familiar. The dark black hair, and the deep blue eyes… it reminded him of Zack. Cloud tried to shake those thoughts of his head though as he focused back on the question he was asked.

"No? Should I?"

"You mean you seriously _haven't _heard of Noctis? The crown prince of Lucii? From Insomnia?" the blond asked, clearly the most surprised out of all of them.

"_Prince? Lucii? Insomnia? Now I know I really am someplace else…"_ Cloud thought to himself. The gears in his head rotated more as he tried to put things together. Out of all the things that had happened to him in his life, this by far was the strangest.

But with a few more thoughts he thought he figured it out. Or at least had a good idea of what could have happened to him. "No I really don't. I don't quite understand it, but… I think I was transported or brought here somehow… from another world. Or maybe a dimension."

"Another world?" the one known as Noctis asked. "Is something like that even possible?"

"Well I suppose if it Astrals are involved then it could be rather plausible," the one with glasses replied as he placed a hand to his face, looking deep in thought. "My name is Ignis by the way."

"Oh yeah! I'm Prompto," the blond said.

"Gladiolus," the larger man replied simply.

"Nice to meet all of you," Cloud said quickly, before returning his focus to the main task on hand. "Now what was it that you said about Astrals?

"Astrals, you know like the gods?" Prompto replied.

"You think they could have brought me here?" Cloud asked before a new thought came to mind. "Maybe… maybe they were the ones affecting the Lifestream then."

"The Lifestream?" Noctis asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "What's that?"

Now it was Cloud's turn to looked surprised. "There's no Lifestream here? Then how does the planet…. Never mind. This is all just a bit too complicated I think. I'm still trying to take all of this in…"

"Well then I think it would be best to continue this conversation indoors, it's started to get a bit dark out," Ignis said as he looked briefly at the setting sun. "

"You guys are just going to let me come with you guys? Without knowing what really happened to me or anything?"

"Well we can't just leave you out here, especially if you truly are not from this world. You'll just get lost," Gladiolus commented.

Cloud smiled slightly He still had no idea how he had gotten here or why, and it was true that he had nowhere to go or anything. While he was now lost in a strange new world, he was glad to have come across people who were nice and understanding. "Thank you.

* * *

They now sat around the small round table in the hotel where they were staying at. The four were still a bit confused about how Cloud had just showed up apparently from another world, but they weren't just going to leave him. They all figured if he showed up near them, it had to have been for some reason. Whatever it could be, it seemed that they were meant to meet Cloud.

"So what was it you mentioned before? About the Lifestream and the planet?" Ignis asked, deciding to start with a simple enough question to learn more about Cloud's world.

"It's a bit hard to explain, but it's basically a type of energy that is connected to all life on Gaia," Cloud replied.

"Gaia? Is that the name of the planet then?" Gladiolus asked.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. I guess by that then, there is a different name here?"

"Eos," Noctis replied. "But now what makes you think it you coming here had to do with the Lifestream?"

"There is this area in an old church, a pool of water that is deeply connected to the Lifestream. I went to visit it today as it is a memorial for… some friends of mine… When I got there it was glowing and looked strange. I tried to look at it, but somehow I was pulled down into it and blacked out. Next thing I knew I was here."

"Hmm I wonder if there is any connection or reasoning that could have brought you here. Surely it couldn't have just happened for no reason," Ignis said as he stood up and began to pace around the room. "Now I may just be grasping at straws here, but how about where you are from?"

"I live in a city called Midgar. It's a pretty big place… though I grew up in Nibelheim."

All four guys blinked for a moment. Not quite sure they heard him right. Cloud on the other hand was confused as to why all of them stared at him with wide eyes. Maybe what he said did bring forth something that could hold a connection?

"Wh-What is it?" Cloud asked.

"What was that you said? The place you grew up in?" Noctis asked.

"Nibelheim," Cloud repeated. "It's a small mountain village... Not a whole lot of interest there besides the old manor and the broken down Mako Reactor," Cloud tried to explain the best he could, but he figured in the end they still wouldn't understand most of what he was trying to say. That is unless there was some strange connection that they had yet to uncover.

"Well that is quite the coincidence, because there is a nation here called Niflheim. But…" Prompto said as he paused slightly. "I don't think you ended up here cause your hometown has a similar name towards a military empire."

Cloud sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He thought about asking about the place called Niflheim, but from their reactions he could already tell that they were probably not on best terms with the nation. "Hm the best guess I can have though is that the Lifestream brought me here for a reason. Maybe… I don't know what it is obviously… maybe it's to help you guys out with something?"

"As of right now I don't see much in the way of us needing help," Gladiolus explained. "Right now we are just waiting for the night so we can take a ship to Altissia."

Cloud was about to ask why exactly they heading there, but Ignis was the one to continue the rest of the story. "We're heading there because Noctis is going to marry Lady Lunafreya so a peace treaty can be created between Insomnia and Niflheim."

Cloud didn't really need to hear anymore as he started to put the pieces together based on what they had said about Niflheim and how they talked about that place. It seemed they were not really on best terms, but this was their one chance to make things better. But that still left the reason why he was there. But he thought he would at least ask anyways to try and see where he could get with it.

"I don't suppose then you would need any extra help getting there?"

"No not really," Noctis replied.

"But there still has to be some reason why you are here then," Ignis added in. "It just doesn't seem plausible for you to end up here for no rhyme or reason. There must be something…"

The five of them then sat there in silence as they all tried to think it over. The longer they thought though, the harder it was to come up with any good answer. It was just a regular thing for people from other dimensions to fall out of the sky. It was just so bizarre and out of nowhere that none of them really knew what to make of it.

Finally Prompto sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Why don't we just sleep on it and figure it out in the morning?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Noctis said as he yawned slightly.

"I'll ask to see if they can give us access to the other guest room upstairs," Ignis said before leaving the room.

Cloud almost wanted to tell him that they didn't have to do that for him, but he kept his mouth closed as he realized there wasn't much else he could do. With being in a strange other world, why would he choose to go out on his own and get lost? If he was truly brought here to help these guys… in whatever what that could be… then he wasn't going to turn down their generosity. Though the thoughts as to why he was there never left his mind for the entire rest of the night.

* * *

**So another chapter is wrapped up. So yes my plan is to have Cloud join along with them.**

**Thank you guys for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Welcome back to this story and to ch.3!~ Thank you all so much for finding this story interesting. Now let's get right to it!**

* * *

**Ch. 3**

Cloud stretched while letting out a long yawn. He slowly opened his eyes to see the light streaming through the window. As his eyes adjusted he remembered that he was not in his bedroom. He was far from that for sure. He was instead in one of the hotel rooms in a place called Galdin Quay. Cloud was still not entirely sure why or how he had ended up in such a place, but by now he figured there had to be some good reason for it.

He sighed as he got out of the bed and grabbed the robe that he had been given, since he was currently only in his boxers. He then began to stretch a little. After a moment then headed towards the front door to the room. There was a note that had been pushed under his door, notfilty that his clothes had been dried and were in a bag outside of the door for him. There was a smaller bag to the side to the side of it that had he figured was holding whatever he had in his pockets. He opened the door and picked up the bag and headed to the connected bathroom to put his clothes back on.

Once he was dressed he decided he should head to the room downstairs to see how the other four were doing. After all, it seemed that he Lifestream could have brought him here to these guys. Cloud headed out the side door and down the stairs to the floor below. From there he gently knocked on the door that led into the room where they other guys were staying. He waited a moment before Gladiolus opened the door.

"Well looks like you are finally awake," the well built man said as he stepped side so Cloud could come into the room. He saw that Prompto and Noctis were already up and standing in the room, though Ignis was not anywhere to be seen.

"You're a heavily sleeper than Noct," Gladiolus added with a chuckle. "It's already past noon."

Cloud rolled his eyes sightly. He did enjoy the days when he could sleep in, but for what had happened, he had found himself more exhausted that he originally thought. As soon as he had laid down last night he was out. "Well it isn't every day that you get through into another dimension, so sorry if I was a little more tired than usual."

"Was it really?" Prompto asked curiously. "I mean, do you like remember anything else now about how it happened? Or how it felt?"

Cloud shook his head. "I still only remember being pulled into the water and then waking up here. Nothing in between."

"Aw man, that's too bad. I really wanted to know what it must be like to travel to another dimension. I wanted to know if it was like in the movies," Prompto replied with a sigh.

"Who knows, maybe if we find a way to send Cloud back, you can go back with him and document your experience," Noctis said jokingly as he crossed his arms.

"Oh! Maybe if I had my camera running, then maybe it could document the footage of traveling between," Prompto said as he bounced back and forth.

Cloud couldn't help but chuckle a little at the energy that the other blond had. "You really think something like that would work?"

"It would be worth a try! Otherwise just being in another dimension would be cool enough," Prompto replied.

"Well let's just hope that me being here wasn't a one way trip," Cloud said with a slight sigh. He started to wonder again how he would even get home. He had just fallen out of nowhere into the water. It would have made more sense if somehow the water was connected and he surfaced instead. But of course that wasn't the case, and no one had answers.

A few seconds later the door opened and Ignis walked in. He carried a newspaper in one hand as he glanced at Noctis, giving a pensive look, while Gladiolus started walking over to him. Ignis stood there for a moment, only looking at his friend.

"What's that look for?" Noctis finally asked.

Ignis held his look on Noctis a little longer before turning away and handing the newspaper to Gladiolus, who began to read it over. "It's in all the papers," he answered quietly.

"What is?" Noctis asked, slowly becoming concerned.

Cloud could tell by the expression on Gladiolus's face, that whatever it was, it was not something good. As Gladiolus walked a small bit as he read the paper, both Cloud and Prompto could see the headline of the paper.

"Insomnia… falls…" Prompto murmured as he read the headline outloud.

"_Insomnia…"_ Cloud thought to himself. "_That's the place where these guys are from…"_ He wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to say anything out loud though, as he was still an outsider to all of this.

Noctis's eyes widened as he gasped, his expressed hardened then to looking more mad. "This your idea of a joke?"

"I need you to calm down so I can explain," Ignis replied.

Noctis started walk forward until he was right in front of Ignis. "I'm all calm as I'm going to get."

"There was an attack," Ignis answered directly. "The imperial army has taken the Crown City."

Gladiolus then cleared his throat as he began to read a section of the article. "As treaty room tempers flared, blasts lit the night sky. When the smoke about the Citadel had cleared, the king was found... dead."

Noctis's face gew pale as he stared down at the floor. "No, wait, hold on…" he trailed off as he seemed to be trying to figure out what he wanted to say.

Cloud decided to take a few steps back, into a corner of the room. He still wasn't sure if he really should be apart of the conversation. He knew nothing of Insomnia or the treaty that was briefly mentioned to him the day before. He still felt out of place, but he knew he couldn't just leave. He was there for a reason, and he still had to find out what that was.

"We had no way of knowing," Ignis replied as he turned away as he took a few steps.

"What? Knowing What?" Noctis asked quickly.

Ignis turned around to give his answer. "That the signing was last night, that Insomnia-"

Noctis interrupted him. "But the wedding! Altissia!"

"I know, that was the plan. Yet the reports of the invasion are all the same. How could every headline in the kingdom be wrong?" Ignis asked.

Noctis lowered his head, sadness filling his eyes. "Lies…" He then slowly walked his way over to one of the chairs and sat down.

"If only…" Prompto replied, who was now standing in the other corner of the room, looking out the large windows.

Cloud started to have thoughts about the situation. He could see how upset and distracted Noctis looked and he could understand. When Nibelheim had burned down and his mother had died… he had felt similar. He felt at a loss because he had lost his only parent and wasn't able to do anything to save them. His thoughts started to drift off back to that long ago memory, but Gladiolus's voice snapped his out of it.

"Well then we can't be sure until we see it with our own eyes."

"And that means we go back to Insomnia," Prompto said as he looked around at the group.

"Might not be safe for us there," Ignis replied.

Prompto took a step forward. "Might not be safe for us here."

There was an uncomfortable silence that entered the room. All of the men stood there as they let the weight of the news sink in as well as the idea of heading back to Insomnia.

"Turn back?" Gladiolus finally asked.

All of them then looked over at Noctis as they awaited his answer. He still looked saddened, but slowly a more serious expression filled his face. "Yeah."

"Then we should get going. But… " Gladiolus said before he turned and faced Cloud. "What about you now?"

Cloud shrugged. "I still don't know. Though maybe… I am suppose to go with you guys now. Maybe I am actually to help you guys in some way. I wouldn't know exactly what or how… but it's the only thing I got for right now."

* * *

**I decided to make these first few chapters a bit short if that is all right. Maybe I'll try to make the next ones longer, but i usually end it where I feel it is good.**


	4. Chapter 4

**So I've been busy with college. But I did have half this written. So I finished it up once I figured out how to get through parts.**

**Thanks to everyone following the story! I am glad you guys are all interested!**

* * *

**Ch.4**

"If that is the case, then I suppose you should come with us," Ignis replied. "Besides it still wouldn't feel right to just leave you here with no knowledge of this world."

Cloud glanced around to the other three, wondering if they were also going to agree with this. Both Gladiolus and Prompto gave silent nods of agreement, while Noctis didn't reply back or give any indication he was paying attention. He was now seemingly lost in thought over the event he had just heard about. Though after a few seconds he raised his head and looked at Cloud.

"I'm fine with it, let's just get going," he said as he stood up and prepared to gather up his things.

"Right. We must make haste so let us get everything we need and then head back to the Regalia," Ignis intrusted. "Though there is one other thought. In case we come across any daemons or anything else, I feel that you should have something to defend yourself."

Cloud was about to object, saying that he had a weapon, but then he remembered where he was. His Fusion Sword had been left in Fenrir when he had gone into the church. He was now weaponless. "Yeah… that would be helpful."

"I'll show him where the shop is as you guys get the car ready," Gladiolus said as he walked towards the door.

Cloud followed behind as they exited the building and headed outside. As they walked a new thought came up to Cloud's mind. "So, what Ignis mentioned before… daemons. What are they exactly?"

"Sounds like you are lucky then, if you don't have them from where you're from," Gladiolus started to say. "But basically, they are nocturnal monsters that are plaguing the world. They range in sizes and strengths. So if we encounter any on our way back, expect to be helping us out."

Cloud shrugged a little. "That won't be a problem for me."

"Sounding a bit confident with yourself there," Gladiolus replied with a small laugh.

"Maybe I am," Cloud replied back, laughing a bit himself. "I've done my share of fighting enemies and creatures back where I am from, so these daemons shouldn't be too difficult."

"We'll see about that," Gladiolus said as they came up to the small building that was the shop. "Now they don't have a lot here, but if you see anything that works for you we can get it."

Cloud looked at the list of weapons that the small store held. They had several different types of weapons from swords to guns. Though there was one type of sword that did grab his attention. It was classified as a greatsword, but this type was specifically called a War Sword.

"I'll take that one," Cloud said as he pointed to the large sword.

Gladiolus raised a curious eyebrow. "Really? You can manage a large sword like that?"

Cloud didn't try to retort back as he expected it. From a quick glance at his appearance, no one would think that Cloud would be able to wield heavy, large swords. But of course, due to everything he had gone through, they were something he was easily use to.

Finally he nodded, though he did cross his arms. "Yeah, that's what I'll use. Something wrong with that?"

"No, just a little surprised. But if that is what you want, then all right then," Gladiolus replied before turning to the man at the store and paying for the large sword.

Cloud was then handed it, he moved it between his two hands for the moment, He then stood back as he swung the sword around a few times, getting a feel for it. It was far different than both the Buster Sword and the Fusion Sword, but it still was within the same class of sword. After a few swings, the weight of the sword felt right and he faced Gladiolus. He saw that the man was studying him carefully, no doubt still surprised that he could easily wield such a heavy sword.

"Impressive. Maybe if we do encounter any daemons, I'll get to see you really put that sword to work," he commented as he crossed his arms.

"Sure thing," Cloud replied back as he swung the sword over his shoulder. He didn't have a holder for it, but he figured he could get something later on for that. The two of them started to walk back to where the others were.

Just as they walked a few feet, Gladiolus stopped Cloud. "You're just going to continue to carry your weapon like that?"

"What?" Cloud asked, glancing over him.

Gladiolus let out a sigh. "I'm guessing where you are from you just carry around your weapons all the time?"

"I guess so?" Cloud replied, still not entirely sure what he meant by it. He did always carry the Buster Sword around when he had used it. Then with his Fusion Sword he had all the pieces were stored nicely in his motorcycle.

"Well I'll have Noct explain it then, he'll be able to explain it better than me," Gladiolus stated as he continued walking again.

They walked a bit further until they reached a car that Ignis, Noctis, and Prompto were loading things into. Cloud examined the car as they got closer. It was a sleek design and Cloud started to wonder about the technical aspects of the car. Though it led him to temportaily think about his motorcycle that he had left back at the church. He could only hope that it would be all right now that it was being left unattended. But he knew for the time being, there was no time to just sit down and talk about the vehicle.

Ignis looked up as he closed the trunk of the car. "There you two are, we are just about ready to leave. I see that you have yourself a weapon."

"Yeah, I hope it wasn't too much though. I can try to pay you back," Cloud replied, as he now remembered that he did have some Gil in his pocket. He wasn't sure if it was the same type of currency though. He had looked away to try out his weapon when Gladiolus paid for it, so he wasn't so sure.

"It was only 150 Gil, nothing that we can't quickly earn back," Gladiolus said.

"Oh… so there Gil here as well," Cloud said as he reached into his pocket to pull out the pouch of Gil that he had. "Is it the same type as mine though? Or is it just the same name again?"

The four men looked as Cloud pulled out a small pouch and opened it up. Inside they saw several different coins for different amounts. Much to their surprise the coins did look exactly like the type of Gil that they had.

"Very intriguing," Ignis commented. "Perhaps there is more in common between our worlds than we thought. But really, you do not need to worry about paying us back."

"Wait! I had an idea," Prompto interjected. "What if Cloud's from the future! And that's why he has Gil and has a similar sounding town?"

"But then why have I never heard of any of the places you have mentioned or even Noctis," Cloud replied as he thought over the idea. He thought it could be possible, but it just didn't feel right. "I think I would know about a prince at least. That sounds like something that would be in history books."

"Maybe… your really far in the future?" Prompto added, not quite so sure any more on his idea.

"I really don't think so. It just doesn't sound right. But maybe later on we'll figure it out," Cloud said.

The rest nodded as Ignis finished checking to make sure they had everything. While he did that Noctis eyed the weapon that Cloud was holding. "So you're good with heavy type weapons?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, this was the closest thing to my own sword, feels a bit lighter, but it should work for me."

"Ah I see…" Noctis replied as he glanced to the side. Cloud could see that Noctis was still distraught over the information that had been revealed. But he was trying to keep his cool for now at least.

"He doesn't know how to store away his weapon though," Gladiolus commented.

"Seriously?" Prompto asked. "How do you not know about that?"

"Because… it isn't something that is in my world apparently? I still don't understand though what you mean though."

"Basically what it is, is a small… sort of pocket dimension, I guess," Noctis answered quietly. "With enough concentration you can open it and store your weapon there so you don't have to constantly keep carrying it around."

Cloud blinked with surprise and amazement. He never heard of anything quite like that, but it was something that sounded intriguing. "Really? Well that does sound helpful. How would I access that though?"

"I don't really know… it's just a concentration thing as far as I know," Noctis replied with a shrug. "I've never really had to explain it to anyone."

"Hmm…" Cloud hummed as he thought about it. If it was concentration, surely it couldn't be that hard. He only hoped that an outsider from another dimension could access something like that.

He closed his eyes as he tried to visualize a pocket dimension. He tried to imagine his new weapon being stored there until he needed it again. He breathed in steadily as I kept these thoughts and then his grip on his weapon vanished. It was gone.

Cloud opened his eyes, a bit surprised. The four others also had similar look on their faces.

"It seems at least that you have figured it out fairly quickly," Ignis replied.

"Now we'll just have to see if you can bring it back," Gladiolus added.

"Another time though," Noctis added in abruptly. "Let's just get going already."

Cloud glanced at the raven-haired guy again. He could see he was little still worried and was getting more and more impatient. So he nodded. "Yeah, all right."

The sky above started to darken slightly as trickles of rain stopped down. Ignis walked over to the drivers side and open the door. "The weather won't make things easier, let's hurry though."

There was only for seats in the car though. The driver's seat, front passenger, and 3 in the back. Ignis drove while Gladiolus sat in the passenger seat. Which left the other three in the back. Cloud felt it would be a bit awkward to sit behind men he still barely knew so he sat on the left side while Prompto say in the middle, and Noctis on the right.

As the rain continued as they finally left Galdin Quay. And they finally started on their way back to where they had come from. Back to Insomnia. And Cloud couldn't stop wondering what laid ahead for them. He still had many thoughts about everything. And now finally it seemed a new journey had begun for him.

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**Now I just have to get back to watching a playthrough. Thanks for reading. Please me me know what you thought. Even the simplest things are helpful and stuff to me. It's always nice to know what you all think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow omg! Thank you all so much for the follows on this story! I had no idea that it would get this popular, so a big thanks to all of you! As well as a thanks to the reviews, they were all very nice to read! Now let's get a move on with the chapter!**

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**Ch.5**

The drive in the car to Insomnia was not the most comfortable for Cloud. In more ways than one. The first part was that he was sitting in the back of the car next to people he still did not know too well. Though there were three spaces for seats, it didn't mean there was all the room in the world. Thankfully it was not too crowded back there for Prompto, Noctis and him, but it was a bit tight.

The other part was that they were still practically strangers to him.. So sitting next to them while there was a rather uncomfortable silence in the car, made Cloud feel all the more unsettled. It seems that the silence was getting to the others too, as Prompto started to shift slightly in his seat. Cloud didn't try to stare, but he could see Prompto looking back and forth between everyone.

"I hope… everyone's okay…" Prompto said, finally breaking the silence that was plaguing them.

Noctis let out a long, heavy sigh. "Lotta good hoping is going to do."

"You mustn't lose faith," Ignis quickly interjected as he turned the corner down onto a road, driving steadily with the rain continuing to come down.

"Really?" Noctis asked dryly. "Can faith stop a fleet of imperial dreadnoughts?"

Cloud took in a long, deep breath. He could feel the tension in the car starting to rise a little, but he had no reason to say anything. He didn't even know what he could say. This was still not his world and he was still not fully understanding the events that were going on. He had the general idea from what he saw in the paper, but other than that he was still out-of-place. And yet here he was, along for the ride with four guys that Cloud figured had all been friends for some time. All Cloud could really do for now is just listen into a conversation that he felt that he really shouldn't have been listening to.

"Give it a rest," Gladiolus said to Noctis, in hopes to calm things down before they really got more tense.

"My old man had plenty of faith," Noctis retorted in response.

"Enough," Gladiolus grumbled as he crossed his arms.

Noctis grumbled, but didn't say anything back. He just shifted his head to the side, to look out the window. Prompto glanced at Noctis as worry went over his face.

"The empire lied. They betrayed us," Prompto stated, sounding upset as well as in shock from the news that they had all learned.

"Conjecture gets us nowhere," Ignis stated. "We're searching for truths."

Noctis gritted his teeth as he continued to stare out the window. "All you'll find are lies… like that ceasefire."

Silence fell over the group again, but Cloud started to wonder more. Even though he knew it was not his place to ask anything, especially with how upset everyone seemed, but he had to get some of his curiosity out. There were just things he wanted to know, now that he was joining with Noctis and his friends towards Insomnia.

"Uh… If I could ask, can you guys tell me more about this whole thing? I know you mentioned a treaty with the military empire, right? But is there anything more than you can tell me about?"

Noctis, Prompto, and Gladiolus all turned to look at Cloud, while Ignis just eyed him with the rearview mirror. With all eyes on him now, Cloud felt a little more uncomfortable. No one said anything right away, as they all seemed to be thinking it over. Cloud started to wonder if maybe he should have saved his questions for a better time, but it was too late now.

He cleared his throat quickly after. "If it's a bad time to talk about it… It can wait. I was only wondering."

"Don't not worry," Ignis started. "It makes sense given your circumstances. You are an outsider thrown into a world with no knowledge of what has happened. So your curiosity is not unwarranted."

"There's just a lot to explain," Gladiolus stated.

"Then it can wait," Cloud replied. "I don't want to pester you guys about it too much."

"I think you should at least know something," Prompto added in. "You can't just come along with us without knowing what we are getting yourself into."

"I agree, so Cloud if you wish to understand some of what is going on, we will tell you to the best of our knowledge," Ignis replied.

Cloud nodded slowly as he looked around the car, and his eyes fell over to Noctis. He hadn't said anything for several minutes, and from how he continued to stare out at the sky, it didn't seem he had any comments on the current conversation. Cloud could understand though, he saw that Noctis was probably thinking hundreds of thoughts about what he read in the paper. Even with barely knowing the man, Cloud could understand. It may have been under different circumstances, but he knew what it was like to lose a parent.

He looked away from Noctis though and went back to talking with the others. "That would be nice, thank you."

Ignis nodded back in response and began to tell as much as he could to Cloud. Within a few minutes Cloud started to get an understanding of the empire Niflheim and that they had been at war for years and years. Though just some time ago, they decided to try to call forth a peace treaty to stop the war and everything else. The treaty was not the most perfect of deals, but it had been agreed upon if the war would be put to a stop. Ignis continued to talk on what he knew about the subject, and it almost felt like Cloud was getting a history lesson, but he tried to listen as much as he could.

But then of course they all knew now that the treaty wasn't going through after all. What they read in the paper made things clear that there was no agreement that settled upon and now things seemed to be more dire than ever before. Some parts of it still seemed a bit confusing to Cloud, but he tried his best to listen to everything that he was being told.

Though after time had passed Cloud glanced out the window and noticed something in the sky. He blinked a few times, trying to figure out what it was as it came into closer view. Soon enough two large, dark and ominous ships flew over head. One of them was far larger than the other, but both of them were still massive in size. All of the men seemed to stare at the ships as they moved through the skies ahead of them.

"Look at the sizes of those things," Gladiolus commented.

"What are they?" Cloud asked. These ships were far different from Cid's ship, and from what Cloud could guess, these ships were most likely from the empire.

"Imperial dreadnoughts," Ignis answered. "They transport soldiers… namely, the magitek infantry."

While Cloud knew full well about soldiers and infantry, there was one word that was foreign to him. He started to figure there would be a lot of words and things in this world that he would not immediately understand and know about. But he knew it wouldn't be too hard to figure out as Ignis seemed to be rather knowledgeable in many things.

"Magitek?" Cloud finally asked. "What's that?"

"Mass-produced humanoid weapons of warfare," Ignis replied.

"Really doesn't look like they will be signing that peace treaty," Prompto muttered quietly as he stared out the window, eyes locked on the ships.

"Are they heading to Insomnia?" Cloud asked, though he had a feeling that the answer was going to be.

"Looks like it," Gladiolus ended up responding.

The ships seemed to head off farther into the distance while they kept on driving. Soon enough though there was something out on the road just several feet away. Ignis started to slow down the car as they saw other cars stopped in front of them. There were people standing outside of their cars as they looked on. From what Cloud could see there was a large group of people who looked like they could be soldiers as well as a large machine walked down the road towards the group of people who stood next to their cars.

Ignis grumbled. "They've set up an inspection point."

"If the road ahead is blocked, then we find a way around," Gladiolus said.

Ignis turned the car around and then headed down a small side path just off to the side, out of sight from the inspection point soldiers it seemed. After a moment Ignis stopped the car, as they were now at a dead-end for driving.

"Let's make a detour. There ought to be a decent vantage point up ahead."

Everyone nodded and then exited out of the car. Cloud looked around the area now, first noticing that the rain had stopped. The other thing he noticed was more of the area that he was in. They were now in an area that had a wall structure going around the area, and up ahead there was stairs that most likely headed along the wall.

Cloud continued to look around as he followed behind the group by a few feet. If it weren't for the fact they were trying to sneak past a barricade, Cloud would have liked to explore the land a bit more. He already could tell that this land… Eos… was far different from Gaia. There were already so many things he could think of that felt far different from home.

There was a moment that Cloud started to think back to his home. He had been abruptly pulled from his world and into this one. He started to wonder what could have happened back home while he was here on a journey with new acquaintances.

"_I wonder… does time flow differently between this world and home? Or are people wondering what happened to me…" _Cloud sighed quietly. "_Tifa… I hope you aren't worrying too much. Hopefully I'll find a way home… I just feel it may be a bit."_

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**I'm still watching through playthroughs as much as I can to get the stuff, just fighting scenes are hard for me to write, so I am thinking over that. So I am holding that off until next chapter, so I can take a bit of time to work out writing fight scenes.**

**Also, a question for you all again! Should Cloud get a new more fitting, FF15 style outfit? Or should he just stay in his usual AC attire. Just a thought I had.**

**Big thanks again for everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed this story! I am going to keep trying my best here, so thanks for the support.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I get writers block for this story, then this story explodes and people are enjoying it. SO BIG THANK YOU to everyone! Seeing all of your reviews and support has really helped me try my hardest to get back to it!**

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**Ch.6**

Cloud kept pace with the other guys as they continued walking along the wall. They stayed lower to the ground, trying to keep out of side of any other people in the area. Soon they came to a across an opening that lead to the next section. But guarding the area were a few soldiers… about four from what Cloud could see as he stayed in the back of the group.

"There they are. Wanna take 'em out?" Gladiolus asked in a low whisper.

Noctis nodded. He narrowed his eyes as he approached the edge of a wall of crates. Beyond that they soldiers would see them and most likely attack. "Oh yeah. Those scrapheads are gonna wish they had a treaty to protect them."

Noctis stopped himself just before the last of the crates. Cloud watched as Noctis gave a brief hand signal, most likely to warn the rest of them to be ready. Cloud thought to ready himself too, but then he realized something.

He didn't have his weapon on him. At least not physically. Everything that happened before seemed like a blur with how it happened. Somehow he was able to store his weapon away like how Noctis had told him. But he hadn't told him how to bring it back. Was it the same method as before? Was it just another level of concentration? There was still much he wondered about this method, but he knew there was no time to ask about it right now.

Before he could give too much thought on it, he saw a blue glow coming from around Noctis's hand. In a flash a weapon appeared in Noctis's hand. Cloud blinked, processing what he figured had to be the summoning of the weapon. But before he could even get time to think on that, Noctis threw his weapon quickly across the way, and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Over where he threw the weapon he reappeared, grabbed it and immediately went to attack one the soldiers. For a moment, Cloud thought it was a move similar to his special version of Omnislash. The one he had used against Sephiroth with his fusion sword. But this also seemed different at the same time. And it probably was. Cloud had to remind himself that he was in a universe that was not his own. Though there may have been similarities, not everything was exactly the same.

"_I wonder though… if that blue glow is the same as the blue glow I saw in the water?"_

Cloud quickly shook off the thoughts. Letting them out and active in his mind was not what he needed right now. Before him he saw that Noctis and the others were still fighting the soldiers. Cloud was only being foolish and standing there watching. He needed his weapon, and he needed to help them fight.

He held out his hand and put as much concentration as he could into the idea of having his weapon in his hand again. He breathed in slowly before he felt the weight of the handle fall into his hand. He gripped it tightly and hurried over to join the fight. He saw that there were only four soldiers, one for each member of the team. He waited, biding his time until he saw an opportune opening to strike. He glanced to Prompto, who stood a fair distance from his opponent. The soldier began to attack and he ducked away just in time to see Cloud trying to get his attention. The two shared a nod, each understanding the silent message to coordinate their efforts. When the moment was right, they charged in. Prompto adjusted his weight and brought down a heavy slash onto the soldier, who quickly crumpled to his knees before rolling away from Cloud's sword.

While Cloud prepared for another attack he saw a fifth soldier running down the stairs nearby. While Prompto continued with the other, Cloud dashed toward the newcomer and took the soldier down with a powerful upward strike. He watched as his enemy dropped to the ground, never having had the chance to fire his weapon. He turned to find that his teammates had finished off the remaining soldiers in the area. No words were spoken, but nods of approval were given before Noctis ran ahead.

_"I guess once this is over we'll have more time to discuss things,"_ Cloud thought as he followed the group up the stairs and to the left, leading to another set of stairs. He didn't complain about any of it - he was used to heavy combat, after all. But this was a new and unfamiliar group that he fought beside. There was still much he figured he had to learn about them and their fighting styles.

When they reached the top of the staircase, they encountered more soldiers. With no time to properly take a rest, all five of them dove into battle again. Cloud neared his opponents, dodging bullets and parrying attacks until he was within close enough range to swing his sword.

_"They may have tough armor and guns, but still nothing I can't handle,"_ Cloud thought to himself as he took out a pair of soldiers with ease.

When they cleared the area of enemies, they moved on through the decrepit structures that ran alongside the wall. The others dismissed their weapons and Cloud did the same. Although he was wary of being unarmed in such a dangerous place, he did find it easier than lugging it around while they traveled.

Above in the sky, the roar of am engine was heard. Everyone looked to see another large ship zooming overhead. It continued on to whatever was ahead of them. It was just as ominous as before, with the glowing red engine pushing it along.

"_There seems to be way more ships than back home. Or maybe the only ships belong to the empire… still too many unanswered questions."_ Cloud sighed to himself, not knowing when he could get a clear understanding of everything.

"Hey," a deep voice said.

Cloud looked up to see Gladiolus next to him as they walked through an area surrounded by high rocks.

"Yeah?" Cloud asked.

"Saw your moves back there, I will admit I still wasn't too sure before. But now I see you really do handle that class of weapon easily," Gladiolus replied.

"Thanks, it's what I'm use to I guess," Cloud said, not knowing what else to really say. He wasn't all that used to getting compliments on his fighting. But he could tell that Gladiolus was being honest about it.

"Hopefully if we can get things sorted out here, I'd like to go against a round against you and see what skills you really have."

Cloud raised an eyebrow to Gladiolus. He wanted to fight against him? "You mean like a friendly spar?"

"Yeah, exactly."

Cloud nodded in response. "All right, sounds fun."

After that Noctis singled again, there were more soldiers up along the rocks and even further ahead. Once they defeated the soldiers in the area Cloud could see Prompto staring at one of the fallen enemy soldiers.

"Can't believe these are the MTs," he muttered.

Cloud walked over to him. He now heard another new term, but wasn't going to let the opportunity pass up this time to get the answer. "MTs?"

"It stands for magitek troopers. Easier to say at least," Prompto answered. "It's just so weird cause they act so real."

Ignis now walked closer to the two of them. "But they are only empty humanoid soldiers. Nothing to them except being soulless and merciless."

Humanoid soldiers. It was a new concept to Cloud, but not entirely. He started to think back on things, and Cait Sith came to mind. Cait Sith was just a robot cat plush doll, but still acted real. Though there was a whole reason behind that, making it fair different than the soldiers Cloud was fighting here. But it made him think at least. It was not a similar thing at all, but had again similar vague elements that made him think of home.

Cloud stared down at the now lifeless bodies of the MTs. Their armored, blank faces staring vacantly into nothing. "_I wonder how many there are… Ignis said they were mass-produced, so I can assume that there are far more than a couple scattered around here. Can't believe that someone would make so many of these things…" _

"Come on," Prompto said as he motioned for Cloud to follow. "We gotta hurry."

"Oh, right… sorry," Cloud replied as he ran to catch up with the others.

They headed out of the cavern area and came out to an open area overlooking a large body of water. There was a bridge farther off that lead to another part of land… but from there… Cloud saw something unsettling.

On the other land mass across the water, smoke was rising in the sky. Different areas from the looks of it, but there were streams of smoke coming from all over. Even though the rain was coming down on them, it most likely wasn't helping the fire out there.

"_Is that Insomnia?" _Cloud wondered. He assumed it had to be as the four guys walked ahead, near the edge of the cliffside. They stared out over the view, looking at the smoke while Prompto pulled out what Cloud could only assume was his phone and started up something. It was another quick thing, but Cloud noticed that the phone Prompto held was far different than his own. But that was not what he needed to focus on right now.

At the moment, Prompto had opened something on his phone and it was playing what sounded like a radio broadcast. It talked about how the peace treaty was stopped due to the attack, and then it moved on to mentioning of the king's death.

But what was heard next came as a surprise to all of the men, even to Cloud.

"… _we've now received word that Crown Prince Noctis and the Oracle Lunafreya have also been pronounced dead."_

Everyone became more unsettled by those words. Noctis seemed the most upset from what Could could see, but he still faced the body of water and not the group. Though what was said seemed questionable, there was nothing that Cloud thought he should say. He had to keep reminding himself that he was an outsider. He knew nothing really that was happening, but he needed to pay attention to try and learn.

Prompto started to fumble with his phone, but Gladiolus turned to him, looking fairly upset from the news. "Keep it on!"

Prompto fumbled with his phone, but ended up dropping it. When he went to pick it up Noctis whipped around, angry embed into his face. "Don't bother!"

From the tone of his voice, he was far more than just a little angry. While he stepped to the side and pulled out his own phone, Cloud got a little closer to the group. He moved closer to Ignis and Prompto, mainly because Gladiolus was on his phone, and he saw that Noctis needed some more space.

"Why would they announce something like that?" Cloud asked.

"I wouldn't have the foggiest idea," Ignis replied.

"It seems odd though… who would give them information saying Noct's dead? Or did they make it up?" Prompto added.

Ignis didn't reply back, he only lowered his head. Cloud wanted to try and find an answer, but his lack of knowledge of the world he was in prevented him again. He sighed, wishing he could say something to help, but he couldn't find anything.

The wind beneath them stirred and a large humming sound came from behind. Looking up Cloud saw at least a dozen of the ships he had seen flying through the sky before. But there was more than just that. This time there was an even bigger ship between the smaller ones. It was huge and flew only a few feet above them, kicking up dust from the engines blasting on the sides of it.

The ships flew over them and carried on over the water, right towards Insomnia. The menacing red glow from all the engines covered the skies, making everything feel even more serious. Whatever the empire had planned, they needed a lot of ships for it. Cloud couldn't help but wonder yet again what he had really gotten himself into. Or really… what he had been chosen to be brought into.

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**Thanks to OstelanExcruciasm for helping me update my fight scene! I try my best, but I know it isn't my strongest suit. **

**If you have any ideas or tips though, let me know. I am always curious to see what you guys have to say. **


	7. Chapter 7

**OMG! I am so surprised how popular this story has gotten! I never honestly expected to see so many wanting to read this. Thank you all so much and thank you all for waiting on this. I had just a bit of a block trying to get through it, but here it is! **

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**Ch.7**

While the rain continued to trickle down, the group made their way back to the car. From what Cloud could figure, Noctis had made a call to someone named Cor. And that person told him that they would have to go to a place called Hammerhead.

But there wasn't much else Cloud could figure out, aside from one other thing. From Noctis's lack in response from Gladiolus, it was clear about one thing. Noctis's father, the king, was confirmed dead.

As they got back into the car, and Ignis started the engine, Cloud wished he could have something to say. He knew the pain of losing family. But Cloud wasn't sure how to approach the subject. "_He still seems on edge from the news… maybe it would be best to talk about it later. Though I don't even know what I'd say. What can I say, or how do I say it?"_ Cloud sighed quietly, not wanting to draw attention to himself as the other talked. "_If Tifa were here, she'd probably know how to handle it…"_

Before long, Cloud could see something coming up on the side of the road. It looked like a gas station that had a sign reading 'Hammerhead'. Ignis pulled the car into the lot and right up next to one of the gas pumps.

Just as Cloud was getting out of the car, he saw someone come out of the shop area. A young woman, who had short, wavy, blond hair, waved to the group and greeted them. Whomever they were wore an outfit that rather revealing. It almost reminding him of Tifa's old outfit, with very short shorts, and a top that revealed her stomach. Though her top was much more different, and a little more revealing.

"No weather for drivin' that's for sure," the woman said with an accent in her voice.

After she spoke, she looked to Cloud with a curious glance. No doubt she was wondering who he was. Cloud started to feel he would be getting those looks a lot now that he was going to be sticking around with Noctis and his friends. But she didn't get a chance right away to ask, for Noctis spoke up first.

"Where's Cor?"

"Left to see to business, and left y'all a message with Paw Paw," the woman answered answered. "Boss ain't sat still one second since he heard y'all were comin'."

"Okay," Noctis said before turning to head off to whomever it was that was waiting for them.

But just before he could head off, the woman spoke once more. "Now wait just a second. I know y'all rushing to see Paw Paw, what with everything that happened, but aren't ya going to introduce me to your new friend?"

"Oh, uh yeah," Noctis said before turning back to face. "This is Cloud, we kind of… um encountered him at Galdin Quay."

Cloud could see that Noctis was trying to find a reasonable explanation for how he ended up joining them. It was far easier than trying to explain how he felt out of nowhere and into the water. Only those who were there at the moment it happened would understand it more properly. But from that, there was no easy way to try and explain it to an outsider who hadn't been there.

After a bit of pondering, Noctis sighed. "I don't know how to tell you really, but he's a friend and is kind of tagging along with us for the time being."

"Well if ya got your reasons, then it's all right. I know things are quite a mess, so there is always a later time. Nice to meet you, Cloud. A friend of the prince is a friend of mine. Name's Cindy," the woman said as she held out her hand to Cloud.

"Thanks," Cloud replied as he went to shake her hand.

"Now I better yet y'all get on your way to Paw Paw, I've got some things that I need to attend to anyways."

When Cindy left the group started to head to a different area of the gas station. While they walked, Cloud couldn't help but let his curiosity show. "Who are we going to see?"

"Cindy's grandfather; Cid Sophiar."

"Cid?" Cloud asked. "I guess that is another coincidence then."

The group stopped walking and turned to look at Cloud. "What do you mean?" Prompto asked.

"I have a friend back home, though his name is Cid Highwind. But I guess Cid could also just be a common enough name."

"You are correct about that, there is that possibility. But if there are any more similarities between our world and yours, let us know. I am rather curious to learn what else there could be," Ignis replied.

"We can discuss and compare things later," Noctis cut in. "Let's just get to Cid for now."

"Are you sure I should come along though?" Cloud asked. "I mean, for the conversation. I am still fairly out of the loop for everything that is going on here."

"While it is true that you are out of the loop, it would be best if you join with us on the conversation. The best way to gain knowledge on all of this would be to hear and learn as much as you can," Ignis replied.

"If you say so," Cloud replied.

The five of them walked further to the location of where Cid was. He was within the garage area, sitting down in a chair. When Cloud saw him, he could see that there was no resemble the Cid that he knew. This Cid was much older for one aside from the appearance. Either way he still found it interesting that there was also a Cid in this world, and at least had something to do with some type of vehicles.

Cid looked up from his chair to see the five men, and his eyes quickly drifted to Cloud. A questioning look came over his face, just as Cloud expected. He had a feeling people would be reacting to him like that quite often if he was going to stick around with Noctis and his friends.

Before Cid could even ask, Cloud decided to speak first. "Cloud. New friend of Noctis, but it's a bit of a long story. I'm here to help them out though."

Cid nodded. "I'll save my questions for later. Right now…" he looked to Noctis. "We need to talk about what you came here for."

Cloud took a few steps back from the group. He still felt a bit out of place being there, but there he was. He listened to the best he could to the conversation that was going on, trying to understand the best of it. There was talk of things though that weren't too clear still, such as something about a crystal and a certain ring. Cloud chose not to ask any questions though, he knew he could at a different time.

Eventually Cid told the group that Cor would meet them in the tombs, wherever they were. Cloud still was very lost within the world he was in, but all he could do now was to stick around Noctis and the others. He knew that within time he could learn more on the way.

The sun was already beginning to set after they had their discussion with Cid. Now that it was getting darker Ignis spoke up, "I feel it is best we rest for the night before we head out. The roads can be quiet perilously at night."

"Agreed," Prompto said. "I'll go and pay for the caravan."

Prompto walked away, off to some place that Cloud presumed where he would pay for the caravan. Meanwhile Ignis cleared his throat a little. "At least with evening coming now, we can better discuss the matter at hand for you Cloud."

"Right, I guess now would be a better time than later," Cloud replied with a shrug.

"Besides, there are things I must ask, now that i have been given the proper time to think about it," Ignis added before turning and walking to were the caravan was, which was on the opposite side of the station at Hammerhead.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Cloud asked as the rest of them started walking to catch up.

"Hell if I know. Iggy always seems to know something before the rest of us. He'll probably tell us once we are all set at the caravan," Noctis replied.

Soon the group met back up at the caravan and brought chairs to the table that was just outside of it. Ignis was currently inside of the caravan, most likely checking everything out and then less than a minute later he came and took his seat.

"Now that we are all settled, I can get to the matter that has been weighing on my mind for the past few hours," Ignis started. He then looked to Noctis. "Noct, I am surprised that you have not picked up on the occurrence."

"Well how about you explain what the occurrence even is?" Noctis asked as he leaned back in his chair.

Ignis nodded slowly. "It is concerning Cloud, and how he was able to store his weapon before. Or have you forgotten that only the Lucian royal family can use that power, unless granted otherwise."

"Ah!" Noctis exclaimed, running a hand through his hair. "With everything that has happened… I honestly forgot about that."

"Wait, I'm confused," Cloud interrupted. "What is the big deal about how I was able to make my weapon vanish like that?"

"Like Iggy said, it's technically only a power that my family is able to have, but I can grant the power to others if necessary. So without even thinking, I granted you the power to use that space for storing a weapon. It's only natural to me, so that is why I didn't think twice when talking about it before," Noctis explained.

"Oh, I see then, but it isn't an issues you allowed me to do that?" Cloud asked.

"No it isn't anything like that. Just giving all the more reason why you were able to actually do it so easily," Noctis replied.

"Ah, all right then," Cloud said with a nod.

A moment of silence fell over the group, none of them knowing exactly what to say. While trying to figure that out, Cloud finally had a thought come to his mind. "If I can ask, what kind of technical specs can you tell me about that car?"

"The Regalia? Why do you want to know about it?" Gladiolus asked.

"Only curious. Vehicles like that are one of my interests," Cloud responded casually.

"So does that mean you have something like that back home?" Prompto asked.

Cloud shook his head. "Not really. What I do have is my motorcycle; Fenrir."

"Whoa! You drive a motorcycle? That's so cool!" Prompto exclaimed.

Cloud smiled, finding a chance to talk about something he really did enjoy. "Yeah, and it is one of a kind too. I had to do some work on it though to be able to have storage slots for some of my swords, but it works perfectly."

"So what do you want to know about the Regalia then?" Ignis asked as he pushed up his glasses.

"Just the usual common things like max speed and anything else," Cloud said.

"Well while we would never try to reach the highest of speeds, the Regalia can get up to at least 70 miles per hour, which is fairly common for cars of that type," Ignis replied.

"I figured as much," Cloud said with a nod.

"So what about your motorcycle then?" Gladiolus asked. "Seems like you may have more you want to say about it."

Cloud chuckled a little. "It's max speed can get up to 250 miles per hour, but I have never had the opportunity to get it to that speed yet."

All of the other men had their eyes widen and mouths drop open. Cloud let out a small laugh, expecting that type of response from them. Finally Noctis was the one who managed to find his voice again. "250!? On a motorcycle?! How is that possible?"

"This isn't your regular run of the mill motorcycle. A lot of work has been put into it to get it to work how I like it," Cloud answered.

"Darn! That just sounds so cool! But I guess it's back home in your world?" Prompto asked.

Cloud ended up signing a little. "Yeah… along with my own sword and anything else that could have been helpful here."

"Ah! That would have been so awesome to see!" Prompto said. Then a moment later he reached to the side and then pulled out his camera. "Oh! I almost forgot to show off the pictures I got from today. There are some pretty good ones."

"Wait, when did you manage to take pictures?" Cloud asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Prompto somehow has the ability to just take photos when he thinks it is safe, rather than actually helping out with fighting daemons or anything else," Noctis said with a slight snarky tone.

"Hey! I do help out! I just also like to grab the pictures when I can! Especially during fights. Action shots are some of the coolest ones to capture."

"All right then, let's see what you got for today," Gladiolus said as Prompto began to show the group the pictures.

Cloud looked along with the others, finding himself impressed that Prompto had the time to capture some of them. There weren't a whole lot, but Cloud found himself to be in a few of them. Whether it was from their fight against the magitek or just some shots from when they had been walking around without needing to fight.

"_I guess this group all has their thing then,"_ Cloud thought to himself as Prompto talked about some of his favorite pictures from today. "_And I guess I am going to get to learn more about them, the longer I am here."_

* * *

**Finally got something through this scene. It is always hard to integrate Cloud into this and figuring out how things will go. Now I got something at least to work on. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay so I was thinking through the next chapter... then this idea came to me. So I wanted to try it out and stuff.  
**

**Thank you all so much again for the reviews! It really makes me happy to see you all enjoying it!**

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**Ch.8**

Within the Lifestream, Aerith meditated soundly. She breathed in deeply as a smile crossed her face. She breathed in and out several more times in a slow pattern, letting the sounds and sights of another world filled her senses. A moment later she opened her eyes, keeping the smile warm and large. She looked across from where she sat, looking at her favorite spiky raven haired boy.

"He's talking with them some more. He impressed them with talking about his motorcycle, and then the one called Prompto started talking about pictures he took during the day. There was some other talk about storing of the weapon, but that is still something I don't quite understand."

"So, Spike is actually getting along with them," Zack commented, returning a smile to Aerith. "Too bad though he can't actually show off Fenrir. But either way, at least he is doing good."

"It seems so," Aerith nodded.

Zack stretched before laying down, resting his head in Aerith's lap. "You know, I'm pretty jealous of him right now."

"Oh? Is that so?" Aerith asked softly, though she already knew the answer. She always knew what Zack was thinking. She figured out that she was probably one of the only ones that could truly read Zack as clear as day, or maybe he just liked to let his guard down around her. Maybe it was both.

"Yeah. After saving Gaia so many times here, he gets to go off to a new world. Like a legit completely different planet in some other dimension, or universe… or whatever it is. Like that sounds so cool, and ah… I'm also really jealous of you cause you get to peer into that world and see how he is doing."

Aerith laughed softly while she began to gently stroke Zack's forehead. "Always so excited about what Cloud is up to."

"Of course! I always want to make sure my best buddy is doing all right. I mean I know he is doing much better now, but still you know what I mean. Ah… I seriously wish I could go there. You know to help him out with those guys he is with."

"Knowing you, you would go and get distracted by something else. Eos a completely different world than ours. I still don't know too much about it, but they have different magic there and so many other things. You would go there and be the excitable, little puppy, and get lost in all of it," Aerith said with a teasing voice.

"Hey," Zack said, pretending to frown. "I'm not a little puppy… I am a big, excitable puppy. Your big, lovable puppy to be exact. But yeah… I would probably get easily distracted… but only for a bit! Then I would focus on the task that would be at hand!"

Aerith started to run her hand through Zack's hair. "Yeah, I know you would. When it comes to it, you would set your mind to it."

"Seriously though, I wish I could join Cloud. We didn't get too many missions together back when we were both in Shinra, but when we did, they were the best. What I would give to get to be on another adventure with him."

Zack paused while a thoughtful look crossed his face. Quickly he sat up and faced Aerith. "Couldn't it be possible though? In some way or form?"

"Zack, you know it doesn't work like that. You know that your-"

"Yeah yeah I know I died and stuff. But I died in this world, not that world. I mean I don't even exist in that world, but still I make my point. Come on Aerith, couldn't there be some way? Some way I could go there?"

"Zack, I don't know… all of this is rather new to me. I didn't even know that place existed until the gods of that world managed to speak to Minvera and explain their situation. They were somehow able to get through to our world to ask for our help. I don't know how other worlds work or how sending you there, if it is even possible, would affect you."

"Can't you at least ask? Like ask Minvera or the other Cetra in the Lifestream? Maybe they would know or take a guess?" Zack asked. "Please? For me?"

Slowly his eyes grew big, and right away Aerith knew what he was doing. She braced herself as Zack gave the biggest pouting face a grown man of his age could give, and it melted her heart every time. WIth such an adorable face like that, she knew she couldn't resist. Sometimes she playfully cursed his charm and charisma, it was too much for his own good.

She sighed, finally giving in. "All right, I'll ask. But Zack, that doesn't mean that anything is guaranteed."

Instead of giving her a verbal answer, Zack leaned forward and kissed Aerith gently on the lips. Afterwards he smiled happily. "Hey, even if it is a no, we can at least say we tried. Maybe if we can't send me, there could be something else we could do to help Cloud, right? Or a message or something else."

"Calm yourself Zack Fair," Aerith replied as she poked his cheek. "I think this big puppy may be getting too excited over something that may not even happen."

"But that's what puppies do, they get excited at the littlest things," Zack replied. He leaned in closer to Aerith's face, bring another smile to his own. "Thanks though."

"Like I said, don't get your hopes up yet. I still have to ask and see if I can first get through and secondly get a proper answer. On top of that, see what could even be if that second option is in fact possible."

"Hey, either way you are going to try and ask, and that's what excites me," Zack replied. "If not though, I can say at least I tried."

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**This is actually a thought I had long ago, what if Cloud ran into Zack when in Eos? And also just for the fun reactions of the Chocobros seeing Zack.**

**I am not sure exactly how I would go about this, whether it is just like a one day visit for Zack or if he can stick around longer. Or even be there but in another form (like a chocobo lol). But let me know your thoughts guys! I know this was a bit short, but I hope you guys liked it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ch.9**

Prompto had been showing off his pictures to the entire group while the others talked about each one they saw and if any of them were truly amusing. Cloud didn't fully engage in that, but he did pay attention to the photos and to what was happening. Cloud thought to try and add to the conversation, that was slowly diverting into other random topics, but he had no idea what to say.

He was still out of his element and still barely knew these guys. While didn't mind getting to know them, the part of starting it all was still hard for him to figure out. Even as a child he was never the most sociable. Sure he had his friends now that he was close with, but that had taken a lot of adventuring to get to that point. He had a feeling by the end of this, whenever that would be, that it could be the same.

Moments later Cindy ended up coming over to the table and took a seat. "Thought I might drop by now that I got the rest of the work done for today. I still had some things on my mind from before."

"Some things? Like what?" Noctis asked.

"Well about your friend Cloud here. I know ya said you had your reasons, but I am just wondering if I can ask this," Cindy turned to face Cloud now. "You aren't by chance related to Prompto now are ya?"

"What?" Cloud asked, his eyes widened with surprise.

"I agree to that 'what' totally," Prompto added in.

"Well there goes that idea. It's just that on a quick glance you two kinda look similar. Course there are differences, but there are some similarities if you look," Cindy answered.

Cloud turned to look at Promoto and at the same time Prompto had done the same. Sure there was some basic things Cloud could note, like blond hair and blue eyes, but he just couldn't see how the two of them looked even remotely similar.

But soon enough he started to hear some light chuckling coming from the other side of the table. Noctis was the one who was laughing though Cloud could see smiles from the other two.

"Hey!" Prompto shouted. "What's so funny? You don't actually think we look alike do you?"

"Actually you kind of do," Noctis replied before he started to smirk. "It's just the way the hair spikes out. Both of you kind of have hair that looks like a chocobo."

Prompto suddenly pouted. "I've told you before! My hair doesn't look like a chocobo butt!"

While the three other men and Cindy started to laugh, Cloud pressed a hand to his face. He thought of it being silly at first, but soon enough he was chuckling softly. It was loud enough to draw in the attention of the others.

"Aw come on, you don't think it's true, do you?" Prompto asked, looking still a little upset over the whole 'chocobo butt' thing.

"Well not really," Cloud answered. "But… to be honest, it wouldn't be the first time someone has made a joke about my hair looking like a chocobo head."

"Hey he's right," Gladiolus answered with a hefty laugh. "That means the two of you together make a whole chocobo."

"Don't make it worse!" Prompto shouted, still clearly upset by the name calling, though Cloud could see that there was some amusing in it. He figured that Prompto wasn't fully upset otherwise his friends would have stopped teasing already.

"Well it looks like you boys are having fun, I probably need to get back to check on Paw Paw. Y'all have a goodnight."

After Cindy left the area, Prompto let out a long sigh before shaking his head. "Even if we look similar… there could be something there. _Not_ cause we look like chocobos! But I was thinking more about where Cloud is from and stuff."

"You think there could be some connection just based on appearance?" Ignis asked.

"I dunno, maybe. Maybe instead of the future, Cloud's world is like some parallel or alternate world?" Prompto suggested.

"How would we even know if that is true?" Cloud asked.

Prompto shrugged. "I haven't thought that far. I'm just trying to gather as much as I can. But hey! We should try to document this more! Hey Cloud, is it cool if we take a picture?"

"Uh, sure?" Cloud said, not entirely sure how to react to the energy of Prompto.

Though it did have a faint sense of familiarity to him. It wasn't entire;y the same, but once again he had come across another instant that reminded him of Zack. He knew it wasn't a coincidence or anything like that. With being in another world there was bound to be people with peppy personalities and also black hair and blues eyes. It would be weird if there wasn't anyone else like that. But either way… it still briefly brought him back to thinking about Zack.

"Cool, all right!" Prompto said, thankfully pulling Cloud away from getting too buring in his memories. He stood up from his seat and walked over to where Cloud was. Kneeling down he held out his camera and arms length and smiled.

Cloud gave a small smile and then the picture was taken. Afterwards Prompto turned his camera to Cloud to show him the picture. "Hey, okay… maybe we do look a little alike. But I think that actually is pretty cool, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Cloud said looking at the picture of him and Prompto. Side by side he could see that they did have a slight similar look to them, but it mainly boiled down to the fact they were blonds and their hair spiked out in various directions. There was also the thought that Cloud was sure he was the same height as Prompto, but he hadn't really been looking for that. Either way that element wasn't too important compared to the rest.

But then again… if he had a similar look to Prompto… Cloud glanced over to Noctis again, looking at his face. It was still just a very vague comparison, but still upon a quick glance he would think it was Zack. But there were still many differences that made that thought wrong. Overall it was still a weird thing to think about, but it was something he decided to keep note of, just in case Prompto happened to be right about his little theory.

Prompto stood up and looked it over before walking back to his seat. "I probably should make a separate album for photos documentary this, just in case we discover anything else about this weird situation."

"Hmm, speaking of this weird situation," Ignis said, leaning forward in his chair. He rested his elbows on the table with his chin on top of his hands. "The longer we talk about it, the more I seem to notice."

"What are you talking about, Specs?" Noctis asked.

"I thought it was a trick of the light or maybe my eyes just playing tricks on me, but it seems far more noticeable now that it is dark outside," Ignis answered, adjusting his glasses slightly all while keeping his gaze locked on Cloud.

"Are you going to tell us or just leave us wondering already?" Gladiolus asked.

"Cloud," Ignis said, speaking directly to him. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but is it natural in your world for people to have eyes unusually that bright of a blue?"

Cloud was about to ask what he was even talking about, but it only took him a second to realize it. "_Oh… It's been a while since someone noticed that… but then again I can guess that mako doesn't exist here."_

"No," Cloud answered. He figured now was a better time than any to give the guys at least some form of an explanation to his world. Whether or not it would help he wasn't too sure, but he saw no harm in telling them the truth. "It isn't natural, not in this way. In my world there is a form of energy that comes from the planet called Mako… and to put it simply, there was once a corporation that had soldiers infused with the energy. The side effect is what you see aside from other things like enhanced senses and strength."

All of the men were now staring at Cloud with wide eyes, truly curious and seemingly fascinated by his story from what he could tell. Though Cloud wasn't much of a storyteller, or one to socialize too heavily when talking about his past, it did feel fun to see such curious looks. Their minds were fresh and new to what he had to say, they didn't already know what everyone back home knew like the back of their hand.

"Wait so you were apart of that?" Prompto asked. "Whoa just how old were you when that happened? You barely look any older than me."

"And how old do I look?" Cloud asked, trying not to crack a smile. Even though it was all caused by those horrid experiments from Hojo, Cloud's youthful appearance had started to come as a joke around his friends and to others who had never met him before.

"I don't know… um… 20 or 21?" Prompto asked, titling his head slightly, trying to think about it.

"I'm actually 23," Cloud deadpanned all while smiling ever so slightly.

Noctis's eyes widened as he seemingly choked on air. "Wait what!? You're the same age as Gladio?"

"I guess I am?" Cloud half asked and stated.

"No way!" Prompto added in. "I totally thought you would be the same age as me and Noct."

"That must mean you have more experience with fighting than I originally thought," Gladiolus said gruffly. "Now we are _definitely_ going to have to find time to spar. If you're the same age as me, but as scrawny as Prompto-"

"Hey!"

"Then you really must have some skills, especially if you were apart of that soldier group that you were talking about."

"I wasn't actually part of the group… not directly," Cloud admitted quietly.

"Then how did you get that Mako stuff or whatever it was called?" Prompto asked.

"It's… kind of a long story."

"Then perhaps it is best if we continue it another night," Ignis said before standing up. "It is late enough as it is and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Noctis yawned. "That's true… Guess we will have to wait to hear more… whenever we would even have time for that."

"We will see come tomorrow, but for now we should get some rest," Ignis said before heading into the caravan.

Cloud waited as all the others headed into the caravan. He waited outside, deciding to get lost in his own thoughts first before doing anything else. It was weird to think about, but at the aspect of telling these guy's his life story… he didn't feel bothered by it. Normally he was not exactly too keen on having to tell someone brand new everything about his past. Sure he had grown over things and improved his thoughts, but that still didn't mean he really wanted to have to explain it all. But speaking to the four men, itl gave him that refreshing feeling that made everything seem easier. He may have just met them, but there was already a sense of understanding that he could feel, one that made things easier when it came to talking, or even just being friendly in general.

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**So one more chapter before I get back to the plot (and figure out how meeting up with Cor goes and all).**

**I still am getting use to writing the bros, so if there are any tips please let me know. I already am very thankful to all of you who have reviewed so many nice things! **


	10. Chapter 10

**I have been stumped on this story for a while but then I saw all you guys checking out this story out of no where and I finally found place again to add. So thank you all so much for reading this story!**

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**Ch.10**

When morning came the group woke up and headed right out to the diner for something to start off the day. While the names of the food sounded completely different from back home, it sure did smell just as good. Cloud still tried what he ordered and it tasted just as good as it smelled.

Afterwards the five men headed outside and walked towards the car. "So, what's the plan?" Cloud asked as soon as they got closer to the vehicle.

"We head out to find Cor at the tombs that are northwest of here and see what he has to say," Ignis answered. "But as Cid told us yesterday we head to the outpost first before that."

"Right."

It was still a lot of take in, but Cloud was still trying his best to understand as much as he could. Though he knew there would have to be a time later on where he asked the questions that were on his mind. Last night proved to help in some ways, but they still opened up a new floodgate of other questions.

Though he had learned the reason why he could magically store away his weapon, that still left him wondering about it. The power to keep a weapon stored in a pocket space, it was still strange to think about but honestly felt far more practical than always carrying it around.

"_He said that his family had this power but he could grant it to others. I wonder… just what other kind of powers must exist in this world."_

After he got into the car with the others, Ignis started to drive away from Hammerhead, heading northwest. The drive started out quiet at first which gave Cloud plenty of time to look around at the world now that it was day time again.

The land itself seemed to be very large and vast, but nonetheless a pretty sight to look at. But as much as Cloud found himself curious to explore this new land, he knew he had to keep his focus on what laid ahead. Even if his overall goals were still to be discovered, he knew at least there would be fighting, and he could handle that.

The drive was fairly quiet though. None of the guys were speaking and Cloud could see that they all wore serious expressions. Especially Noctis, though there seemed to be a hint of something else. Cloud wasn't much of an expert on stuff like emotions, but he did know what it was like to lose and no doubt Noctis was still thinking about the prior day.

Still Cloud thought again that maybe he could talk to Noctis about it. He knew how it felt, but he also knew how good it was to open up and talk to someone. It had honestly taken him some time to talk things through with Tifa once he finally got over his guilt, but it took the biggest weight off his chest.

"_Hm… I just don't know when it would be best. I still barely know him… but I feel like I should try. It's the right thing to do… probably would be best if I take some time to get to know these guys first before trying to touch into a subject like that."_

Though he thought of trying to say something at least, he remained quiet for the rest of the drive. It wasn't like he was an actively social person anyways, and as far as he could tell it seemed like none of these guys were either. Or maybe it was just due to the situation at hand… only time would tell from this point on.

Eventually they reached the outpost and they all exited the car. As the group walked towards the small shack of a building, Ignis spoke up. "This must be the outpost Cid mentioned."

Gladiolus grumbled deeply. "It looks like a hub for hunters."

"Maybe they know something," Prompto said, trying to sound optimistic about where they were.

To Cloud it just looked like some run down shack in the middle of nowhere. It almost felt like it could be something he would find back in the Slums of Midgar. But whatever they meant by hunters, he wasn't sure if it was meant to be a good or bad thing. "_Just another thing to add to the list of questions…"_

The five of them made it inside where a woman was standing there presumably waiting for them. As soon as she saw Noctis she knelt down and lowered her head. "Your Highness. I'm glad you're safe."

"Monica," Gladiolus said. "Where're all the others?"

"Most of the Crownsguard didn't make it. It was all we could do to escort Lady Iris out of the city. Dustin is with her as we speak, seeing her the rest of the way to Lestallum."

"I owe you guys big time," Gladiolus replied.

Monica nodded. "Head for the royal tomb. The marshal awaits"

Once Monica pointed them in the direction they needed to head to, Noctis took the lead and started walking ahead of the group. The remaining four started into a quick walking speed in hopes to try and keep up, but Noctis kept moving faster.

"Someone seems eagar," Cloud murmured softly.

"We can't keep up with this guy," Gladiolus said after a bit, though CLoud wasn't sure if it was directed at Noctis or not since they were just about caught up with him.

"First the Crown City, then Hammerhead, then the royal tomb?" Prompto asked.

"His nickname should have been 'Cor the Restless'," Ignis replied.

"Somehow not as catchy as 'Cor the Immortal'," Gladiolus added.

"So who exactly is Cor?" Cloud asked, feeling it was the right time to at least ask something as easy as that.

"To put it simply," Ignis started to say. "He is the Marshal of the Crownsguard, which makes him a protector of the Citadel, Insomnia and in turn the royal family. He earned his nickname through surviving countless battles years prior."

"And now that he has made it out of Insomnia, it is only going to add to his legend."

Cloud found himself chuckling slightly. "If surviving countless battles makes you that in this world then I would be quite the legend."

"Huh? Seriously?" Prompto asked as he ran to be side by side with Cloud.

Cloud couldn't help but smile. The refreshing feeling of telling people who had never heard his story before came back to him. "Not only have I been through a lot of battles, but I've been impaled by a sword…" Cloud waited a moment before he added the final bit for emphasis. "Twice."

"Holy shit, no way!" Prompto exclaimed.

Noctis now slowed down in his running a small bit to be more in pace with Cloud. From the look on his face, Cloud could tell he seemed skeptical. "Were they really that severe?"

Cloud nodded. He could feel the slight chill over remembering the events, but they were all in the past now and they no longer haunted him. The only thing it did was leave him always wondering just how lucky he really was to have survived those attacks from Sephiroth . "Once nearly straight through the abdomen, the other was in the upper chest near my shoulder. Should have died, but I guess I just got lucky."

"I would say that it is the wise that make their luck," Ignis said. "There is probably much more to those stories than just that I assume."

"Yeah," Cloud nodded. "But I'll save it for later."

"Oh I definitely wanna hear those stories!" Prompto exclaimed. "You really must be famous back in your world."

Cloud just shrugged, not one to react to flattery too much. "I guess so."

They walked further, eventually heading up a narrow pathway that most likely was leading to the tomb they needed to go to. Along the way though flying beasts started to dive down to try and attack them. Though it seemed unexpected at first the five men prepared themselves and took down the beasts just as quickly as they arrived.

While they fought, Cloud still kept an eye out how each of them fought. They all had their own styles and methods as well as weapons to handle the monsters. Still how Cloud saw it, in the end fighting was all the same no matter the style or weapon. But he was finding himself more interested to learn about the abilities he saw Noctis use. It was mainly that one where he seemed to teleport from one spot to another within a blue glow. Once again Cloud just made another mental note to ask all of these things later.

Now that the flying monsters were dealt with they made their way up to the rest of the path that led to a small looking building. "We're here," Ignis stated as they proceeded further.

"A tomb fit for royalty," Prompto said.

Gladiolus nodded. "Let's go in and find the marshal."

Cloud slowed down slightly behind the group. He still didn't know a lot about this Cor guy, and he was still fairly new to all of this. No doubt once Cor saw him he would either ask questions or something else among those lines. So Cloud thought he would try to hang back as best as he could to try not to cause too much distraction from whatever the task at hand was going to be.

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**I know it has been a while since I wrote on this. I had gotten stuck cause I was just not sure how to go about it, but if you guys got any tips or thoughts please let me know :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ch.11**

The boys entered into the tomb, heading to where Cor was. It only took a bit of walking until they entered the actual tomb area. There in the tomb room was the man known as Cor, though Cloud couldn't get a good look at him right away since his back was to the group.

"Marshal," Ignis greeted, warranting the man to turn around.

"At last, Your Highness," Cor said as he turned around. Though right away his eyes landed on Cloud. No doubt he was immediately suspicious of the man as the group filled in around the tomb.

Noctis cleared his throat and pointed to Cloud. "This is Cloud, he's kind of here to join us or something."

Cor did not seem impressed by the explanation. "Cloud?" Slowly he walked closer to him, still not taking away his serious gaze.

Cloud was not phased though. Not only did he have a feeling that this would inevitably happen, but he had dealt with plenty of confrontations before. He had no reason to be nervous. He wasn't spying on the group or trying to deceive them. He was just… there… for most likely being there to join them on whatever this journey was.

"Last name?" Cor asked suddenly.

"Strife."

There was a soft snort from Gladiolus. "Cloud Strife? What kind of name is that?"

He was quickly hushed by Ignis while Cor continued to not let up his on heavy suspicion. "I'm going to have to ask you to show me some form of identification."

"I have one, but it may make things harder than you would think," Cloud replied as he dug into his pocket. Even if it was going to raise more questions, he knew that he had to at least not make this guy upset by refusing to show his ID.

Cor crossed his arms. "And that reason is?" Quickly, he turned to look at the other boys. "Do you mean to tell me that you are letting a complete stranger follow you all around?"

"That isn't it marshal," Ignis replied. "Cloud's circumstances as to why he is with us… are rather unique. But we have our trust with him."

Cor's eyes then shifted to Noctis. "And this is true?"

Noctis nodded. "The guy did kind of fall out of the sky from nowhere while I was fishing. We kind of believe that maybe the Astrals have something to do with it."

Cor didn't even bat an eye. His seriousness and toughness almost reminded Cloud of Barret, but in a much more strict and only serious mode. "He fell… from the sky… with no warning whatsoever?"

All of the men nodded. Then Prompto was the next to speak. "But like he could be from a different dimension or something. We found out that there are some similaires, but like still a lot of different things."

"Hmph," Cor grumbled. None of this seemed to impress him or sway him to believe any of it.

Either way Cloud held out his ID. "Maybe this will help prove I am not from this world."

Cor took the ID card from Cloud and began to read it out. "Cloud Strife… Born August 11th, 1986. In…" Cor's eyes narrowed quickly, but after a moment they lighted up. "Nibelheim… Nibel Area, Gaia."

"Whoa, 1986? Are we sure Cloud's not from the future?" Prompto asked.

Ignis pushed up his glasses. "Cloud's world may operate on a different calendar system than we do. After all, the calendar system we use was only established 755 years ago."

"I would have thought that if it weren't for this," Cor held out the ID for the others to see. "There was one part of this that just seems too weird to be anything from here."

All four guys leaned in to look, trying to see just what it was that threw Cor off. It was something simple though, right by Cloud's birthday was a strange slew of odd looking words that followed before the 1986; [ μ ] - εγλ."

"How in the world do you pronounce that?" Gladiolus asked.

"[ μ ] - εγλ?" Cloud asked casually. "Well uh… like that?" I don't really know how to explain how to say it, it's just a part of what everyone grew up learning."

All the men were staring at Cloud now. It at first seemed odd why they would be giving him those looks, but the longer he thought about it he realized how weird it probably was. It was from old world languages that just stuck to use for the calendar after all. But he figured those old language words really did sound weird to people who never heard them. It was kind of like slang that only came from your regional area, head to another place and use thar slang and you definitely will get looks.

Cor grumbled again as he looked back down at the ID. a moment later he handed it back to Cloud. "It could just be a forgery, there's still something that seems off about you. But…" he trailed off. "Maybe that's because you really are from some other dimension. It doesn't mean I completely buy it yet."

"Then what can we do to convince you? But I doubt we really have time for this," Noctis grumbled. "You needed me here for a reason, right? Isn't that a little more important?"

Cor sighed as he folded his arms. "Fine. I do not trust him yet, but because we have more important matters at hand, I'll leave it be for now."

Cloud didn't say anything as he watched Cor walk back to the tomb, holding his hand over it. "The power of the kings, passed from the old to the new through the bonding of souls. One such soul lies before you. To claim your forebear's power is your birthright and duty as king.

"My duty as king of what?" Noctis muttered bitterly under his breath.

"Now is not the time to question your calling," Cor replied. "A king is sworn to protect his people."

"And yet he chose to protect only one prince. Was that his calling? Forsake the masses to spare his own?"

The conversation went on between the two for a little bit longer. Once again Cloud found himself feeling like he was stepping into something much more private, yet none of the other guys seemed to move out of the room. Cloud had thought about it, but at the time it just felt like it would be much more rude to step back. So he kept on listening to Noctis grow more and more frustrated over the matters that had happened before Cloud even had arrived.

It was still fairly confusing, but he could understand Noctis's frustration at his father based on what he was hearing. "_The poor guy… it seems like a lot of weight on his shoulders now…"_

It was hard for Cloud to truly get a proper level of sympathy though. He was still feeling sorry for Noctis, but he knew that he could never understand it. Cloud had never known his father, he had left sometime after Cloud was born. He had no way to understand it, but the closest way he could think about it was his mother. It may not have been the exact same, but he still had at least one parent who had always looked out for him.

"_Maybe I really should try to talk to him sometime after this. Let him know I understand losing family… I still gotta try at least," _Cloud reminded himself. "_Whenever the time is right that is…" _

"Guess he left me no choice…" Noctis said once it seemed Cor's words had finally gotten through to him.

He raised his hand over the tomb and Cloud watched as the sword that was placed on top glowed and floated upwords. The light shining from it became too bright and he quickly shielded his eyes until the light faded and the sword now floated up higher into the room. It tilted towards Noctis and in a flash looked as if it were to impale him but instead seemed to join him briefly before floating around him slowly.

This was unlike any power that Cloud had seen before. He knew it was probably something complicated having to do with what he had heard before. Ignis had said something about the Lucian royal family and the power they held. Most likely it had to be something like that, but it was just something more to learn about.

"The power of kings goes with you, Your Majesty," Cor replied.

Noctis nodded and the sword faded away from sight. After that the men filed out as Cor spoke of more royal tombs that had a royal arm for Noctis to collect. As they headed out, Noctis took the lead, while Cloud tried to hang back time being. But as he stayed back Cor also fell back to walk next to him. It was clear he was going to go right back to hounding Cloud or at least keeping an eye on him.

"Strife," Cor addressed him. "If you have been with Noctis and his friends, I assume you have some level of combat training?"

It was not the question Cloud expected to be asked. He thought for sure that Cor was going to ask more about his origins. But this wasn't too bad to be asked at least. "I do. I was an infantryman back in my own world years ago."

Cor hummed. "Well I guess I will just have to see what you got."

Up ahead Cloud saw that more monsters had appeared. The four others were already summoning their weapons and running out to attacks. Not missing a beat Cloud ran up to the group and summoned his sword and helped take out the vicious beasts that had shown up. Cloud even saw Cor joined in the fight, showing off that he had quiet the years of experience in how he fought.

After the monsters were cleared out they started to press on again, but it seemed Cor was still not done with his questioning. This time he walked closer to Noctis, clearing his throat as he walked alongside him. "So you bestored him the ability to store his weapon."

"Yeah?" Noctis asked almost a little defensively. "We told you before that we trust Cloud. So why should it matter?"

"It is just interesting that you would put your trust into someone you barely know, especially if he claims to be from another world," Cor replied.

"He fell _out of the freaking sky_ right in front of me!" Noctis exclaimed. "There wasn't a lot of time to just sit and have a nice chat."

Cloud walked a little faster to catch up to the two of them. "There was the fact I was immediately plunged into water. That made our first meeting more… well unconventional. You would have to have been there."

Cor raised an eyebrow, seeming like he could have been surprised. If he was actually surprised by the story, he clearly didn't show any of it externally. "Well I've already heard that much on how you showed up. Now what about how you got here."

"That's… I'm still trying to figure that part out. Putting it simply, I was by some water that started glowing and I fell into it and ended up here."

"You… fell into it?" Cor asked.

Cloud shrugged. "I said I was putting it simply."

"But we still don't know if the Astrals had anything to do with it or not," Noctis added. "We're just taking guesses."

"You know…" Cloud started. "After seeing you fight, there may be a connection."

"What is it?" Noctis asked as the group continued on their way through the land. The entire group seemed to be intently listening in to what Cloud had to say.

"That thing that you do in battle, where you teleport from one area to the next. It has a blue aura around it."

"My warp strike? What about it?"

"The blue color it creates… the water turned a similar color before I had fallen into it. Like it actually glowed."

"Noct's ability… it comes from power of the kings of Lucis," Ignis answered.

"That power that comes from the crystal…" Cor added on. "The legends say that the Astrals bestowed the Crystal to mankind. If that is truly what you saw, then maybe you were brought here for good reason."

"So you're going to trust Cloud now, uh sir?" Prompto asked.

"Not entirely**.** Not yet, but I do trust him a little more at least," Cor answered. "We'll see the further we go along here. Perhaps as we head to the tomb, Strife here can indulge us more on his world or more specifically anything he has done. If he was brought here to help, there must be more to his skills."

* * *

**Trying my best to write Cor here. I hope it came off good as I am not super familiar with him over the bros. And to answer the guest review suggesting I write longer chapters for the entire chapters of the game, that is a bit too long for my usual standards I'm sorry. **

**But anyways thank you all and sse you next time! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Oh wow, I made a new chapter in record time I feel lol. Either way thank you all again for your support as always. And to the guest reviewer asking me questions how I am going about the story, I am sorry but I cannot reveal any spoilers. **

* * *

**Ch.12**

The party made their way through the area, defeating whatever creatures tried to show up along the way. It wasn't long before they came to an open area that ended up having some of the MTs show up. As it had been like before, the group broke out to attack as quickly as they could.

Cloud went to fight off one of the soldiers when he could catch the others fighting in the corner of his eye. The four guys minus Cor were rather coordinated with each other. There had not been a lot of time to notice it before, but Cloud could clearly see it now. The way they fought, they still each had their own methods with each weapon class they had, but they still worked as a team.

That wasn't to say that he wasn't used to teamwork. He had done it plenty of times before, but there was just something about how these four interacted that made Cloud curious. It just was small subtle things, like passing a weapon from one another or working together to prepare an attack from both sides. With the added bit of the occasional playful banter when Cloud was close enough to hear it.

"_I guess I got a lot to learn, or relearn in my case"_ Cloud thought to himself. It had been quite a few months, nearly a year, since Cloud had dealt with the Remnants and the return of Sephiroth. Since then life had gotten back to being fairly peaceful so there was no need to go out and fight everyday. But he did it still with his friends to practice in case the need ever did come up. But he had to admit he was still rusty on the whole teamwork aspect, but he was still ready to try again.

"You fight well," Cor commented as he came up on Cloud's left.

"Thanks."

"So just how many years was it that you were an infantryman as you said?"

Cor had said that he wanted to see if Cloud would say more about himself and his world, and it looked like now was the time that he was trying to do it. Cloud had no reason to oppose it though, unless he wanted to seem suspicious on the subject. It only brought a little pain along in his chest, but he knew he could get through it now. He was past his phase of guilt and regret, there was still mourning, but that was to be expected. But still at the same time the whole ordeal of his past was complicated to explain. He knew he was going to have to take it one step at a time as easily as he could.

"I left home at fourteen and joined at fifteen eight years ago. The Infantryman division was where everyone started at first, but you could make your way up the ranks. The top rank being 1st Class SOLDIER."

"You mean _a_ 1st class soldier?" Gladio asked.

Cloud shook his head. "No. The name of SOLDIER was the division of men who were infused with the mako energy." In the corner of his eye he could see that Cor was looking at him strange. "It's basically just energy that comes from my planet. But only the SOLDIER rank could get these enhancements. I never actually made it to any of the ranks of SOLDIER, but I did get the enhancements… through less conventional ways."

He had only mentioned before that it was a long story, but now he was getting looks from all of the men. Cloud couldn't help but exhale slowly. It was a lot to explain, but also a lot to talk about in general and he just wasn't the most talkative person. He just hoped he wouldn't have to constantly talk the entire way to the next area.

"Sounds like you've been through quite a lot in those eight years," Cor said with a tone that Cloud could have guessed was sympathetic.

"You wouldn't know the half of it," Cloud scoffed.

"Well you still have time to explain it," Cor replied. "But I can tell it would probably be better for a later time."

Pressing on they soon came to the Keycatrich Trench entrance which was leading into a dark cave or dungeon like area. Right away Cloud could see the guys clicking on little lights to their clothes that really helped illuminate the area before them.

Cor cleared this throat as he walked over to Noctis. "Here's where we go our separate ways. Take this key It unlocks the doors to the other tombs. Seek them out, and lay claim to the power they hold. You'll need it."

"And What will you do?" Noctis asked.

"Keep an eye on the Niffs. Find out what they're up to. But you should focus on your own task," Cor replied.

"And Cloud?" Noctis then asked. "Do you trust him now or what?"

"More than before," Cor said as he looked over to the blond. "Strife, you are a good fighter and a good mindset for determination. I can only hope that you are indeed on our side and will continue to help out his Highness here and his friends."

Cloud nodded. "I'll do what I can."

"Good. I'll be off then," Cor said before turning to look at Noctis one last time. "Good luck."

"Thanks. You take care."

After Cor left the group started to make their way into the cave. It was slowly getting darker, but the lights that the group wore did help majorly. Though it wasn't like Cloud truly needed extra light to see anyways.

"Hey are you going to be alright with seeing and stuff?" Prompto asked.

Speaking of which…

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Mako enhancements increase the senses, so I'll be fine."

"Whoa, so it's like you got night vision and stuff? Or is it just cause your eyes kind of glow like that?"

"Uh, I'm going to go with night vision."

"Sweet. I mean you said it was unconventional which you know is not sweet. But like… it's helpful right?"

Cloud found himself to be chuckling lightly at the other blond. There was an energy to him that felt nice. He wasn't trying to be rude in the slightest, just a genuinely curious person. "Yeah something like that."

"Then we won't have to worry about buying a light for you," Ignis said.

"I guess so," Cloud hummed.

The further they went they came across a structure the Ignis believed to be a shelter of some sorts. There wasn't all too much at first though so they kept moving forward. Though even if it was abandoned there did seem to be some things that were left over. But the further they walked, the more structures started to show. Areas were run down and rather unsafe to move through, making it very slow to traverse through.

Eventually they did find a generator that lit up most of the areas but it was still left pretty dark in general. They all seemed to be fine at least as they made their way through, expect for Prompto who seemed the most on edge.

"You going to be okay?" Cloud asked after they rounded another corner.

"Oh yeah. Totally fine," Prompto replied with the hint of nervousness in his voice. "We're just all down here in a spooky tunnel where something totally couldn't just pop out from behind like _BAM_ and it gets us."

Suddenly Cloud had the sense that one of the other guys was coming up behind him. Pormpto yelped quickly and he saw that Gladiolus had given him a slight shove. "Quit being a wuss."

"I am not!" Prompto pouted. "I'm just thinking of the possible scenarios! Like you see in the movies!"

"Well this isn't a movie so can it," the taller man grumbled.

Cloud started to chuckle, drawing the attention of the other two. "Haven't you heard of life imitates art, art imitates life? Who's to say that won't _happen_?"

"Yeah see? Cloud's on my side that this could all really be terrifying!"

"I never said it was terrifying, just that it could happen."

"Still! It's freaking to think about!" Prompto shouted before Gladiolus gave him another light shove.

"Why don't you take pictures then?" Noctis asked, trying his best not to laugh. "To document our demise."

"You know! That's a great idea!" Prompto pulled out his camera and started to adjust the settings on it before trying to snap some shots.

After a while they came to a different area that looked to be a deadend at first but suddenly the generated lights gave out and for a moment everything was in darkness. Quickly though Cloud could see the guys fumbling to turn on their lights, but what he was more focused on was the other presence that seemed to be in the area. Many small presences from what he could tell.

When the lights were on a group of menacing looking goblins had appeared and had surrounded the group. "Well…" Cloud said as he readied his weapon. "Looks like you were right. They did pop out to get us."

It looked like Prompto wanted to say something, but Gladiolus spoke first, as he knocked back one of the nearby Goblins. "Less talking, more fighting."

Fighting within a narrow cave was not preferable. The walls were still not sound and parts of them would crumble during the fight. But it was all that they could with what they had been given.

"Heads up!"

Cloud tried to turn to see what was happening, when suddenly he was pulled back by Ignis. The floor before him burst into flames along with the Goblins that were there too. "What was that?"

"A basic level fire spell," Ignis replied. "Best to stay out of the way."

"_Guess the magic here works differently. At least there is some form of magic,"_ Cloud thought before going to slice through one of the burning Goblins. "_Wouldn't hurt to ask about it later." _

When the Goblins were defeated they moved on through the dungeon, now all of them fully aware of what could pop up at any time. There were hallways with big metal doors, but as far as they could tell most seemed to be locked. There was one at least that was open, and aside from more Goblins and now some rather creepily large spiders, there was another generator to light the way again. When they did have to fight it was still fairly cramped, but somehow they were all able to manage.

Thankfully by the time they got to the tomb, there had not been all too much else. Noctis retrieved the sword in the same manner as before and then the group started to make their way out.

"So, Noct borrows the old kings' powers?" Prompto asked once the light faded.

"More or less. At this rate, he'll soon rival his father's legacy." Ignis replied, as all of them started headed out of the tomb.

"The Copycat king" Gladiolus snorted.

Noctis grumbled, not even looking back at the taller man. "Out of line."

Prompto moved forward clearing his throat quickly. "Well? What's it like?"

"Hmm… Like I've got some tricks up my sleeve," Noctis replied.

"No need to put on a magic show for us," Gladiolus said.

"But it never hurt to practice," Ignis added.

"I agree," Cloud cut in. "Besides if I am sticking around for a while, I wanna see these new tricks you got."

Noctis gave him a nod. "Yeah once we get a chance to just sit down again, I think it would be good anyways. A chance to see just what kind of skills you have."

Ignis came up between the two of them, giving his own nod of agreement. "Well once we are able to get back we can look for a place to rest. We have been traveling all day after all."

Noctis hummed just as they were exciting the tomb. Cool air rushed over all of them and now that they were back outside Cloud could see that it was later into the night than he originally thought. Finally able to breath fresh air again Cloud walked forward to obverse the area. It was quite now with nothing in sight.

Tilting his head up he stared at the stars. They were just as vast and infinite as the stars back home. Different constellations of course, but there was still some sense of familiarity. He let out a long breath as he got lost in the thoughts of what was to come, and if he would ever get home. He wasn't trying to actively think about it, but it still was a lingering thought in the back of his mind. Only time would tell though, but he wasn't sure just how long that time would be.


	13. Chapter 13

**Ch.13**

The five of them hurried back to the base they had started from, thankfully this time with no interruptions of monsters or other creatures on the way. While they were back, Noctis had gone and talked to Monica to get what information he needed next. On the way back from the tomb, Noctis had received a call from Cor with him saying something about going after a base to take down. Cloud could only assume that they would be dealing with that sooner or later.

As Cloud waited around, he saw that Prompto was wandering around, holding his camera. Eventually he turned to face Cloud and walked over to him. "Hey Cloud, gotta say you standing there all serious with the stars in the background makes for a great shot. Can I grab a quick pic?"

Cloud shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

"Great! Just hold that pose a moment longer… and there we go!" Prompto stood back up and smiled. "It looks great! Can't wait to show it off to the others."

"How many photos do you take?" Cloud decided to ask.

"Like overall? Or just each day? Cause I try to keep a limit on it, like ten to fifteen per day or so. Otherwise I'd probably have like a hundred or more and that's just too much. I can only save so much to the camera y'know?"

"I think I get it. You've always liked that sort of thing?"

Prompto rubbed the back of his neck as he smiled, most likely reflecting upon a good memory. "Yup, though when I was younger I was more focused on just taking pictures of cats and dogs and other animals. Took me a bit to get more confident before I started taking pictures of people and other things."

Cloud nodded. "I see. Good to hear."

"So do you have any favorite hobbies?" Prompto asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, like how I like photography and stuff. Course I know people can have more than one hobby. But like, what's one of your favorites then?"

"I… I've never really thought about it before," Cloud replied. "Does working on my motorcycle count?"

"Motorcycle enthusiast totally counts!" Prompto replied. "Seriously you gotta tell me more about it. I am more of a tech guy, but motorcycles can _technically_ count, right?"

Cloud tried his hardest to refrain from smiling at the bad pun, but a little bit started to show through. But before he could give any answer, the other three walked over to him. The conversation on the motorcycle was going to have to be put on hold. "So what's the plan?"

"Monica gave me the directions to the base, at least some secret way of sneaking it. It's just a little ways from here," Noctis answered.

"While we are close to the base, after today's long ordeal we should rest up while we can," Ignis added. "Cor will be at the base by morning from what I heard. But now that just leaves where shall sleep."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Isn't there a caravan right over there?"

"Yes there is, but there is also a haven nearby, and I am trying to decide what would be less cramped for the five of us," Ignis replied. "And while I know you are wondering, a haven is a small area of land that is embedded with magic that wards off the daemons."

"Yeah, we usually camp out at one if we aren't close enough to a motel or anything," Prompto added. "Or when we don't have enough money."

"Still either way it would be cramped like the caravan," Gladio interjected. "The four of us can fit fine, but I'm not too sure how well it would work with one extra, even if you are on the smaller side. Might be room, but can't really tell right now."

Cloud withheld his thoughts to retort Gladio's comment. Instead he tried to think of something else to say on the subject. "So it's just like camping out in the open?"

"Yes, but we do have our tent," Ignis replied.

Cloud just gave the group a shrug. "If we're camping outdoors I don't mind sleeping on the ground outside. Wouldn't be the first time at least."

"Are you sure? You wouldn't be cold or anything?" Prompto asked, looking a little concerned.

"I've slept in worse conditions, I'll be fine."

"Can't we just like… buy another tent or something?" Noctis suggested. "They can't be that expensive. Or maybe like we can actually see if all five of all can fit."

Ignis sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "They cost a bit more than you would think, but if need be, we can put aside some gil just to be on the safe side."

"It's really not necessary," Cloud started to say, but Ignis seemed to have more.

"And what if it rains?" Noctis continued on. "You just going to let yourself get soaked?"

"Noct," Ignis interjected as he placed a hand on the guy's shoulder. "You cannot force him against his will. Besides we still have only begun to know Cloud, crowding up in the tent for a night is a bit different than the caravan,"

Cloud could understand what Ignis was trying to get at. He barely knew the guys and it would be a bit awkward to be sharing a tent with them. But then on the other hand Cloud had spent those years as an Infantryman sleeping in tents with others when out on missions. Usually each man would have his own tent, but there had been times when he had to group up with others. Even on his journey to stop Sephiroth with the AVALANCHE team, there were times where they had to camp out in the wilderness using the small tents they were able to buy.

Either way it wasn't something he was unfamiliar with, but he wasn't one who was willing to just jump into something like that. He was still overall a private guy who liked his personal space. It was going to take him some time before he felt like he would be comfortable with it, but until then he was just going to deal with it how he could.

"I'll be fine by myself for now," Cloud finally said. "You guys at least have extra sleeping bags or pillows I could use, right?"

"Yes we do in fact. So if that is that case, I assume we are settling on heading to the haven? There is one just south of the outpost, close enough we won't run into any daemons."

"Sounds like a plan," Gladio said.

"And that means Iggy's cooking for tonight!" Prompto cheered as he pumped a fist into the air. "Aw man Cloud, just wait till you try Iggy's cooking, it's like his second calling or something. It's totally out of this world!"

"If you want to get technical, Cloud's from out of this world… literally," Noctis replied snarkily.

"Dude! Don't go stealing my bad jokes! It's my job to make all the bad jokes and puns!" Prompto exclaimed.

"And yet we'd be happier if you stopped making those puns," Gladio said as he gave Prompto a shove.

The five of them walked south from the outpost, and true to Ignis's word, there was a haven just nearby. Just as they approached, Cloud could practically feel the magical energy that came off of it, with the strange runes that glowed blue and the small blue fire pit.

"I'll get the fire started," Noctis said as he approached the pit.

"And I'll get the tent set up," Prompto replied.

Cloud only could stand there as he watched the four set up around the campfire that was now lit. Soon there were chairs around the fire and a mini grill and other cooking equipment off to the side. Behind him was a tent and it was a bit larger than he had expected, but he could tell that four people could be fine, five would probably be a bit more questionable.

Soon enough Ignis walked over to him and held out a journal. "Since you're our guest, I thought you could be the one to decide what we'll eat. I know the food most likely is foreign, but hopefully there is something to your liking."

Cloud nodded as he started to look through the journal. Some of them had circles next to them, giving Cloud the thought that those were the ones that were available. There were a lot of foods that really were unfamiliar, but they were intriguing. After a bit of reading, he finally came to his decision. "Prairie-Style Skewers I guess?"

"A good choice," Ignis replied. "Relax and sit back, I'll handle all the rest."

Doing as he was told he went down to sit by the fire, right near were Noctis and Prompto were. Right away Prompto looked at him and gave a friendly smile. "So Cloud, you play any video games back in your world?"

"Video games?"

"What!? Don't tell me that they don't have video games there!"

"Man that must suck," Noctis added.

Cloud tried to think. He figured that a video game was some game that most likely was done through some technological means.

But he wasn't exactly sure what kind of games they were talking about. Sure there were some at the Golden Saucer, but other than that, he hadn't really done much else. It was probably as close as he was going to get though.

"We have some stuff. Some vehicle simulation games and stuff. I don't really remember though, it was at an amusement park that I went to over two years ago. And… I mean I guess the training simulations could count."

"Training simulations?" Gladio asked as he sat down in one of the chairs next to the group.

"Training for…" he was about to say SOLDIERs, but then he knew that would open the floodgates to even more questions. He hadn't actually used the simulations when he was working for Shinra, only during his time taking it down did he have a chance to use it. So instead he went with phrasing it a little differently. "When we weren't out in the field. We'd put on a headset and a simulation would be set up around us."

"Oh! So VR," Prompto stated. "So at least your world isn't completely boring. But like, you don't even have phone games? Wait, do you even have phones?!"

Cloud started to laugh. "Why wouldn't we have phones?" From his pocket he pulled out his flip phone to show to the guys. What he didn't expect was for Prompto and Noctis to start laughing near hysterically.

"What in the world is that?" Prompto laughed.

"Looks like some old relic," Noctis snorted. "Like something my dad would use when he was my age."

Even Gladio let out a chuckle. "I didn't take you for the old man type when it came to a phone."

Cloud hardly expressed any amusement at their jokes. "What do you guys have then?"

"Only the latest coolest smartphones from Insomnia; Crownsguard addition," Prompto said as he held up his smartphone. "It's got all the latest features and the coolest games downloaded, like King's Knight."

"I bet that thing can't even get games," Gladio laughed. "Let alone reception."

"Hey wait, who says it couldn't?" Prompto suddenly asked. "What if it actually could through some magic Astrals involved way?"

"Only one way to try," Cloud said as he flipped it open, causing the screen to light up. If he could actually connect to some cell towers… would he be able to make calls? And if he could do that… would he be able to call home? To be able to call Tifa and the others to let them know he was okay? It was a hope, but honestly he wasn't too sure.

He opened up the contacts list as the three boys crowded around him to watch. He scrolled down until he reached Tifa's number and hit the send button to start the call. Pressed the phone to his ear he held his breath, waiting for the ringing sound. But there never ended up being any sound at all.

Sighing, he clicked end and flipped it closed. "Guess it doesn't work."

"Well what about calling one of us? Like maybe calling your world doesn't work but here it might? Can I see for a moment?" Prompto asked as he held out his hand.

Reluctantly Cloud handed over his phone and Prompto started to dial up a number on it. Once he hit send he waited just as Cloud had before, and just like before he ended the call after a few of waiting. He handed back Cloud his phone. "Guess you're stuck without phone use."

"Or we could buy one," Noctis suggested.

"Noct," Ignis said as he walked over carrying two plates which he handed to Gladio and Prompto first. "Just like a tent, phones are not cheap and we wouldn't be able to get him an Insomnia made one either."

"But wouldn't it be smart for him to have one? You know in case we ever got separated or something?" Noctis asked.

"Yes, you are correct," Ignis replied as he handed out the other two plates to Noctis and then Cloud. He headed back to grab his own plate before he continued. "But currently now is not the time to worry about it. I will write it down though so when we have enough funds and the time, we can get Cloud a proper cell phone."

"You really don't have to do all this for me, it's not needed," Cloud said as he looked over the food Ignis had made. It really did smell good, he knew that much, so he could only guess it tasted just as nice.

"But Noct makes a fair point. While it is unlikely, it would be wise that you have one in case you were separated."

"Plus if you are stuck here a while, better to have it sooner than later, right?" Prompto added on before going back to eating his skewered food.

Cloud frowned ever so slightly. While he didn't mind helping out the guys, he did wonder about going home. Ever since he got here it was always in the back of his mind. But he couldn't let it be his focus… helping Noctis and his friends had to be the focus. Wondering about home could come at a later time.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't say you'd need to do it all now."

"We will do it when it is most opportune," Ignis answered. "Now I feel you may have some other questions on your mind. Since we have the time now, we could answer them if you like, but only if you let us ask things in return. It's only fair that way."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, I understand. I'm just not used to having to answer so much."

"Take your time then," Noctis said as he shrugged slightly. "Wouldn't want to burn up all the stories right away anyways."

"True…" Cloud mumbled as he stared up at the night sky. "Well… where to begin…"

* * *

**Just trying to develop things and all, trying to get stuff. I'll probably go over some of it in the next chapter of course, gotta know how those boys react to Cloud telling them stuff, right? Lol. Thanks for reading!**


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